IBRAIirOFmNCEION 


DEC  I  9  2003 


THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


BV  4930  .C62  1858 
Conant,  William  C. 
Narratives  of  remarkable 
conversions  and  revival 


•^  ^^-^^^^^^ 


NARRATIVES 


CONVERSIONS  AND  REVIVAL  INCIDENTS. 


NARRATIVES 


OF 


REMARKABLE  COIVERSIONS 


REVIVAL  INCIDENTS: 

INCLUDING 

A  REVIEW  OF  REVIVALS, 

FROM  THE  DAY  OF  PENTECOST  TO  THE  GKEAT  AWAKENING  IN  THE  LAST  CENTURT- 

OONVERSIONS  OF  EMINENT  PERSONS — INSTANCES  OF  BEMARKABLE  CONVERSIONS 

AND  ANSWERS  TO  PRAYER— AN  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  RISE  AND  PROGRESS  OF  THE 

GREAT  AWAKENING  OF  1857-^8. 
BY  WILLIAM  C.  CONANT. 

WITH   AN   INTRODUCTION  « 

BY  he:n^ey  waed  beechee. 


'  The  powers  of  the  world  to  come." — Heb.  vi.  5. 


NEW   YORK: 
DERBY  &  JACKSON,  119  NASSAU   STREET. 

1858. 


Entkebd  according  to  Act  of  Con^ew,  in  the  year  ISfiC,  by 
DERBY   &   JACKSON, 
tii«  Clerk'*  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  for  the  Southern  Diairict  of  New  York. 


W.  H.  Tjnson,  St^ieolj'per.  Gbo.  Rpsskll,  4  Co.,  Printers. 


CONTENTS 


PAOB 

A  Retie-w  of   Revivals,        .        .        .        .     '  .        .        .        •  1 — 48 

Conversions   of  Eminent  Persons, 49-100 

Martin  Luther, 49 

Bishop  Latimer, 56 

Peter  Waldo, 59 

John  Newton, 60 

John  Bunyan,       .         ..•••••••  62 

Colonel  Gardiner, 6^ 

President  Edwards,       . V2 

John  Suramerfield,        ..•••••         .         .  76 

C.  H.  Spurgeon, 11 

Dr.  Nelson, 18 

Hedley  Vicars, 80 

Samuel  Pearce, 82 

Andrew  Fuller, 83 

Adoniram  Judson,         .        •        • 86 

James  Hervey, 90 

Samuel  Budgett, 90 

Lord  Lyttleton, 91 

Gilbert  West, 91 

Richard  Cecil, 91 

General  Dykern, 92 

The  Earl  of  Rochester, 93 

1*  i^ 


I 


X  .  CONTENTS. 

PAOB 

Martin  Boos, ,  .        .  94 

Caroline  Fry, 96 

Mr.  Wilberforce, 99 

Augustine  of  Milan, 99 

Remarkable  Conversions, 101-340 

Revival   Incidents, 341-356 

The  Great  Awakening  of   1857-8, 357 

Noonday  Prayer  Meetings, 361 

Prayer  Meeting  in  Burton's  Old  Theater, 361 

The  Flying  Artillery, 365 

Union  Meetings, ^    .  366 

Noonday  Prayer  Meetings  throughout  the  Union,        .         .         .  367 

Spirit  of  the  Meetings  in  New  York, 380 

Addresses, 383 

Anecdotes  and  Incidents, 385 

Requests  for  Prayer,     .         .                 391 

Communion  by  Telegraph, 39*4 

Demand  for  Hymn  Books  and  Tracts, 396 

Good  News, 397 

"Just  as  thou  Art,        .         .  -399 

To  Parents  in  the  Country, 399 

Religious    Tract  Cards,        ...,•...  400 

Policeraens'  Meeting,    ...«••...  401 

The  Fire  Department,    ...•••...  405 

Philadelphia  Firemen,   ..••••...  407 

Prayer  Meetings  in  Stores,    ..»*•...  408 

The  Free  Academy, •        •        .        .  408 

Prayer  Meeting  for  Boys,    ..••••..  409 
The  Waiters'  Prayer  Meeting,      .        •        ,        •        •        .        .411 

The  Jews, 411 

Other  Movements,         ....                ....  411 

The  Effect  in  the  City, 412 

Systematic  Visitations, 412 

Characteristics  and  Fruits  of  the  Revival  thus  Far,     .        .        .  414 

Incidents  connected  with  Churches  in  this  City^   ....  417 

Perpetuation  and  Extension  of  the  present  Efforts.     .         .         .  425 


CONTENTS.  XI 

PACK 

Survey  of  the  United  States, 420 

Maine, 42G 

New  Hampshire, 427 

Vermont, 428 

Massachusetts, 428 

Connecticut, 378 

Rhode  Island, 430 

New  York, 430 

New  Jersey, 432 

Pennsylvania,        .         . 433 

Ohio, 434 

Illinois — Michigan — Iowa — Minnesota — Missouri,  .         .         .434 

Virginia, 435 

Incidents  of  the  Revival, 436 

The  Revival  and  the  Newspapers, 440 

Conversion  of  a  Sailor, 441 

An  Old  Man's  Prayer  Answered, 443 


INTRODUCTION. 


All  the  histories  of  the  Human  Race  have,  as  yet,  been 
external  and  physical.  Tliat  part  in  which  man's  distinctive 
nature  dwells, — his  mind  and  heart, — has  either  been  passed 
by  entirely,  or  empirically  handled.  Neither  is  the  time 
yet  come  for  doing  what  the  time  past  has  failed  even  to 
attempt.  Men  do  not  even  know  what  the  mind  is,  what 
are  its  constituent  powers,  what  are  those  faculties  which 
produce  the  endless  results  of  human  experience.  Tlie 
body  has  been  explored ;  every  function  watched,  and  the 
organs  closely  studied.  The  nerves  have  been  traced,  the 
veins  and  arteries  have  been  mapped  down  accurately,  the 
most  secreted  passages  and  tissues  have  been  revealed,  and 
all  those  silent  changes  which  are  going  on  in  the  dark  labo- 
ratory of  Yital  Forces  have  been  guessed  or  found  out.  It 
is  no  longer  what  a  man  performs  that  is  known,  but  what 
it  is  that  ^erfomns.  Effects  have  been  traced  back  to  their 
causes,  and  thus  these  causes  have  been  studied  in  all  their 
history,  both  by  induction  and  by  experiment. 

Not  even  what  the  Mind  does  is  yet  studied.     But  what 


xui 


XIV  INTRODUCTION. 

are  the  primary  forces  wliicli  produce  the  endless  pheno- 
mena of  mentality,  men  are  only  beginning  to  inquire. 
"When  eacli  of  the  constituent  powers  of  the  lyiman  mind 
shall  have  been  scientifically  tiscertained ;  its  laws,  its  com- 
binations, its  modifications  registered,  then  a  new  era  will 
dawn  upon  the  Science  of  History.  The  History  of  Man,  not 
alone  the  external  elements  of  his  life,  but  the  life  and  his- 
tory of  each  faculty  of  the  human  mind,  as  they  have  been 
developed  in  every  period  of  time,  from  the  earliest  dawn 
to  the  j)resent ;  imder  all  diversities  of  climate,  civil  institu- 
tion, social  usage,  secular  occupation,  under  all  methods  of 
teaching,  of  restraint,  of  incitement,  will  yet  be  written. 
And  the  history  of  the  development  of  each  faculty  of.  the 
human  Soul  will  be  the  highest  ground  of  true  history,  and 
the  last  to  be  occupied.  When  that  day  shall  arrive,  the 
most  profoundly  affecting  chapter  will  he  the  history  of 
man's  Religious  nature.  The  blind  outreaching  of  the 
human  soul  toward  purity,  toward  rest,  toward  strength ; 
the  aspirations  of  earnest  men  for  divine  life,  their  conflicts 
with  fear,  with  doubt,  with  passions,  will  constitute  a  history 
in  the  presence  of  which  all  outward  events,  all  changes  of 
kingdoms,  or  movements  of  commerce,  of  art,  or  diplomacy, 
will  be  both  coarse  and  tame.  The  single  record  of  the 
struggles  of  great  souls  witli  a  legitimate  doubt,  will  be  a 
history  of  fitself.  In  every  church,  in  every  age,  there  have 
been  men  who  made  their  way  up  out  of  error,  formalism, 
or  death,  as  seeds  do,  lifting  up  the  dirt  and  forcing  their 
way  to  the  light  by  the  irresistible  might  of  growth.  The 
conflicts  of  such,  usually  accompanied  by  reproach  without, 
and  by  pains  and  deep  sufferings  within,  would  be  more 


INTKODUCTION.  XV 

profoimcUj  ali'ecting  than  the  most  touching  history  of  dis- 
appointed love,  or  of  any  of  tliose  passions  of  which  Dramas 
are  made. 

As  man's  religious  nature  is  his  highest,  so  the  real  history 
of  the  soul's  religious  struggles  and  developments  is  to  be 
the  crowning  attainment  of  future  historic  periods. 

Tlie  book  which  is  here  presented  to  the  reader,  does  not 
pretend  to  any  philosophical  method,  nor,  indeed,  has  it  any 
philosophic  end  in  view.  It  neither  proposes  to  group  its 
materials  around  any  theory  or  principle,  nor  to  give  the 
reader  any  elenients  of  judgment  by  which  he  may  measure 
and  decide  the  value  of  the  materials  collected.  It  has  just 
this  merit :  that  it  has  collected  from  diiferent  sources,  mate- 
rials hitherto  widely  scattered,  and  often  inaccessible  to  ordi- 
nary readers,  and  presented  them  in  a  compact  form,  at  a 
reasonable  price,  to  the^jommon  reader.  Tliis  is  all.  There  is 
no  more  rubbish,  probably,  than  will  be  found  in  any  other 
approved  religious  reading.  That  there  is  a  good  deal  of  chaff; 
that  many  things  narrated  imply  great  mistakes  ;  that  many 
things  carry  with  them,  either  by  statement  or  implication, 
mistakes,  and  even  sometimes  untruths,  cannot  be  doubted. 
That  there  are  exaggerations ;  that  there  are  morbid  experi- 
ences; that  there  are  special  truths  erected  into  general 
truths ;  that  there  are  peculiar  personal  experiences,  idio- 
syncratic, set  forth  authoritatively  for  the  imitation  of  all 
men,  is  also  undeniable.  But  what  then  ?  Is  there  any  field 
of  wheat  without  straw  and  without  chaff?  What  if  it  were 
better  to  give  clean  wheat,  who,  yet,  knows  how  to  winnow 
the  recorded  religious  experiences  of  the  world  ?  There  are 
few  that  could  do  it,  however  mucli  they  wished.     There  are 


XVI  INTRODUCTION. 

fewer  yet  that  would  dare  to  do  it,  however  able  they  might 
be.  The  world  is  very  jealous  of  its  religious  ignorance, 
and  embalmed  mistakes  are  sacred  as  ancient  idols. 
'No  man  has  ever  carried  a  people  one  march  nearer  the 
promised  land,  without  being  in  danger,  repeatedly,  of  being 
stoned.  No  man  has  ever  purified  the  life  of  an  age,  w^ith- 
out  substantially  laying  down  his  own  for  that  sake.  And 
there  are  few  men  that  love  their  fellows  as  Paul  did  his,  or 
who  can  adopt  that  highest  expression  of  love  ever  uttered  by 
human  lips,  ^'And  Iioill  very  gladly  spend  and  he  spent  for 
you^  though  the  more  abundantly  I  love  you  the  less  I  he 
lovedy  And  Paul  himself,  I  think,  only  in  moments  of  sub- 
lime intensity,  could  utter  that  other  and  climacteric  desire, 
''For  I  could  wish  that  inyself  were  accursed  from  Christ, 
for  my  brethren^  for  my  hinsmen  according  to  the  flesh  .'" 

For  a  long  time,  then,  much  must  remain  in  confusion, 
much  that  is  indiiferent  must  continue  to  be  held  as  sacred, 
and  much  that  is  sacred  must  be  disregarded  or  sacrificed. 

There  are  a  few  points  which  may  be  presented,  and 
which,  it  is  hoped,  will  prevent  some  evil  w^hich  might  arise 
from  many  of  these  narratives,  and  secure  some  good.  For, 
those  who  will  not  be  in  danger  of  being  misled  by  these 
histories,  are  generally  those  who  the  least  need  to  read 
them ;  while  those  who  need  them  most,  are,  as  a  class,  most 
in  danger  of  being  injured  by  them. 

1.  It  is  very  important  that  young  persons,  and  persons 
who  are  just  entering  upon  a  Christian  life,  should  be  taught 
not  to  try  themselves  by  other  people's  evidences.  It  is 
supposed  that  if  religion  is  of  God,  it  will,  of  course,  be  just 
the  same  in  all  men.     But,  in   fact,  religion   is  tlie  right 


INTRODUCTION.  XVll 

using  of  the  whole  mind  and  life.  Men  are  different  one 
from  another.  They  were  meant  to  be.  The  strength  of 
some  lies  in  the  feelings,  of  others  in  their  intellect,  of  others 
in  their  stability  and  will.  Some  men  are  calm,  others  excit- 
able. Some  are  imaginative,  and  others  literal  and  prac- 
tical. Some  are  nervous  and  quick,  others  phlegmatic 
and  slow.  Besides  these  constitutional  differences,  men 
have  had  -wddely  different  teaching  and  training,  and 
all  these  circumstances  conspire  to  make  their  religious 
developments  personal  and  peculiar !  God  leads  every 
soul  according  to  what  that  soul  is,  and  what  its  history 
has  been.  And  although  Love  is  the  one  central  expe- 
rience in  all,  and  is  that  grand  and  characteristic  element 
which  makes  all  men  alike  Christians ;  yet  love  developes 
itself  in  different  degrees  in  different  men — ^in  some  gradu- 
ally, in  others  suddenly ;  in  some,  it  is  transfused  with  the 
imagination,  in  others  it  is  a  very  plain  and  homely  emo- 
tion. It  nishes  like  a  mountain  torrent  from  some  hearts ;  in 
others  it  is  like  a  silver  spring  in  a  meadow — silent,  gentle, 
and  almost  invisible. 

1^0  man  should  try  to  produce  in  himself  another  man's 
experience,  unless  he  first  hecomes  that  other  man.  In  an 
orchestra,  the  flute,  the  violin,  the  clarionet,  the  horns,  all 
give  forth  music.  But  music  is  not  the  same  sound,  nor  of 
the  same  quality  in  each  of  them  as  in  the  other.  Love  God 
and  love  men  with  yoicr  nature.  And  do  not  lose  comfort 
and  growth  in  grace  by  waiting  to  feel  like  some  other 
Christian.  Be  a  Christian.  Consecrate  your  heart  and  your 
life  to  Christ's  service,  and  then  the  greater  the  differeiice 
between  you  and  other  Christians  the  better ;  just  as  in  a 


XVlll  INTRODUCTION. 

flower-garden,  the  summer  is  ricli,  not  by  having  all  flowers 
j  list  like  each  other,  but  by  having  as  many  different  vari- 
eties as  is  possible. 

2.  Many  persons  are  stumbled  by  the  doctrine  of  instan- 
taneous conversion.  That  there  is  an  instantaneous  influx 
of  spiritual  influence  upon  the  hearts  of  men,  which  be- 
comes the  cause  and  beginning  of  an  active  change  in 
their  life  and  feelings,  cannot  reasonably  be  doubted  by 
those  who  take  the  pains  to  examine  the  facts  of  actual  life. 
Character  is  not  changed  suddenly.  Habits  die  out  gradu- 
ally. Habits  form  gradually.  Tlie  Christian  character  con- 
tinues to  be  progressive.  But  the  question  is  simply  this. 
Do  not  men  suddenly,  instantly,  enter  upon  this  Christian 
career  ?  Do  they  not  change  the  direction  of  their  will, 
the  aim  of  their  lives,  and  the  desires  of  their  hearts,  sud- 
denly ?  The  causes  which  prepare  the  way  may  have  been 
gradually  accumulating,  and  the  full  results  to  which  they 
point  may  be  long  in  ripening.  But  the  point  of  beginning^ 
whether  the  person  is  conscious  of  the  fact,  or  not,  is  instan- 
taneous. And  the  teaching  of  this  truth  will,  in  the  long 
run,  give  great  decisiveness  to  minds  which,  upon  any  other 
view,  would  give  way  to  procrastination,  upon  a  vain  hope 
of  becoming  gradually  good.  Men  do  become  good  gradu- 
ally. But  they  never  hegin  gradually.  That  is  instant  and 
decisive ! 

3.  But  it  does  not  follow,  that  men  are  not  converted; 
that  they  have  not  truly  come  under  the  influence  of  the 
Divine  Mind,  because  they  are  not  conscious  of  the  day  and 
hojir  in  which  they  began  to  live  anew.  Tlie  sun  may  come 
up  behind  clouds,  it  may  not  shine  out  till  noon,  nor  even 


TNTRODUCTION.  XIX 

until  its  going  down.  A  disease  may  pass  its  crisis,  and  for 
lionrs  and  days  one  may  not  be  conscious  of  it. 

My  own  observation  has  led  me  to  tlie  conclusion  that 
more  persons  become  true,  spiritual  Christians  without  sud- 
den joy,  and  without  the  consciousness,  at  the  time  of  transi- 
tion, of  a  great  change,  than  with  it. 

In  robust  and  impetuous  natures  ;  in  persons  who  have 
lived  in  violent  or  great  sins,  who  are  brought  under  very 
powerful  religious  influences,  we  should  expect  to  find  a 
change  which  came  with  powerful  sensation,  and  a  clear 
consciousness.  But  when  moral  persons,  of  an  even  disposi- 
tion, well  taught  in  religious  truths,  especially  if  of  a  mild 
and  restrained  habit  of  feeling,  are  converted,  w^e  should 
look  for  no  such  evidences. 

Tliose  who  read  this  book  should  also  be  put  upon  their 
guard  against  waiting  for  deep  convictions  of  sin.  There 
may  be  more  feeling  than  is  good,  as  well  as  less.  That  is 
feeling  enough  which  is  strong  enough  to  turn  a  man  away 
from  evil.  Neither  should  men  suppose  it  needful  to  sound 
conviction  that  the  preliminary  experiences  should  occupy  a 
long  time.  When  a  man  knows  that  he  is  wrong,  it  is  a 
shame  to  him  to  be  a  great  while  in  forsaking  it.  An  honor- 
able mind  should  turn  instantly  from  evil.  A  period  of  con- 
viction, running  through  weeks,  is  to  be  deplored.  It  is 
neither  wise  nor  morally  wholesome.  It  is  contrary  to  Scrij)- 
ture  precept,  and  to  the  results  which  followed  the  first 
preaching  of  the  Gospel.  Men  should  not  lie  in  a  bath  of 
conviction  as,  clothes  lie  in  a  dyeing  vat,  until  they  are 
thoroughly  struck   through.      They  should  rather  be  like 


XX  INTRODUCTION. 

ships,  which,  having  run  upon  one  tack,  put  about  at  once, 
without  waiting,  and  without  losing  headway. 

But  after  all  cautions,  after  all  instructions,  after  all  expe- 
riences have  been  set  forth  for  the  instruction  of  others,  eveiy 
one  must,  in  the  end,  find  his  own  way  to  a  vivid  realization 
of  faith  in  Christ.  It  is  the  divine  work  in  man's  soul.  And 
though  men  may  lessen  the  obstacles,  and  greatly  expedite 
the  work,  no  teaching  and  no  human  influence  can  do  all. 
There  is  a  passage  into  which  the  soul  comes,  where  only 
it  and  God  stand  together.  In  that  face  to  face  wrestling, 
the  issue  is  simply,  submission  to  God !  And  the  human 
will  must  meet  that  decisive  question,  unhelped,  save  by 
the  gracious  strivings  of  God's  loving  Spirit ! 


REVIEW  OF  REVIVALS. 


The  history  of  the  Gospel  is  the  real  record  of  the  Supernatural 
in  this  world..  We  deny  that  "the  age  of  miracles  is  past ;"  and 
this  humble  volume — humble,  yet  of  transcendent  contents — shall 
sustain  the  denial.  The  miraculous  system  of  Divine  Revelation, 
far  from  having  ceased,  has  advanced  to  a  subhmer  stage  of  devel- 
opment, suitable  to  the  higher  susceptibihties  it  has  engendered  in 
man.  Forty  centuries  of  laborious  education,  with  line  upon  line, 
precept  upon  precept,  symbol  upon  symbol,  and  wonder  upon  won- 
der, reiterated  upon  the  crude  and  sensuous  susceptibilities  of 
human  nature,  had  but  sufficed  to  introduce  the  glorious  revelation 
of  Omnipotence  and  Grace  which  we  name  the  Era  of  our  Lord. 
In  the  fullness  of  times,  Christ  came:  and  the  supernatural  won- 
ders which  attest  the  operation  of  God,  took  on  thenceforth  the 
spiritual  nature  and  pure  moral  glory  of  his  kingdom.  Then  first 
the  Spirit  of  God  was  manifested  as  the  occupant  of  the  human 
soul;  the  tabernacle  of  God  was  with  men,  and  he  descended  to 
"dwell"  among  us;  spreading  abroad  the  wonders  of  his  power  in 
a  universal  largess  unto  and  upon  all  that  believe.  "When  he 
ascended  up  on  high,  he  led  captivity  captive  and  gave  gifts  unto 
men."  Likened  to  a  rushing,  mighty  wind,  the  Holy  Ghost  came 
down,  surcharging  even  the  common  channels  of  life  and  intelli- 
gence in  man;  bursting  forth  as  with  excess  and  exuberance  of 
power,  in  sensible  as  well  as  spiritual  prodigies,  for  a  time. 

And  when  the  day  of  Pentecost  was  fully  come,  they  were  all  with 
one  accord  in  one  place.  And  suddenly  there  came  a  sound  from  hea- 
ven as  of  a  rushing,  mighty  wind,  and  it  filled  all  tlie  house  where  they 
were  sitting.  And  there  appeared  unto  them  cloven  tongues  like  as  of 
tire,  and  it  sat  upon  each  of  them.     And  they  were  all  filled  with  the 

1  1 


25  THE    ADVENT    OF   THE    HOLY    GHOST. 

Holy  Gliost,  and  began  to  speak  with  other  tongues,  as  the  Spirit  ga\  e 
them  utterance. 

And  there  were  dwelling  at  Jerusalem  Jews,  devout  men,  out  of  every 
nation  under  heaven.  ISTow,  when  this  was  noised  abroad,  the  multi- 
tude came  together,  and  were  confounded,  because  that  every  man 
heard  them  speak  in  his  own  language.  And  they  were  all  amazed  and 
marvelled,  saying  one  to  another,  Behold,  are  not  all  these  which  speak 
Galileans  ?  And  how  hear  we  every  man  in  our  own  tongue,  wherein 
we  were  born?  Parthians,  and  Medes,  and  Elamites,  and  the  dwellers 
in  Mesopotamia,  and  in  Judea,  and  Cappadocia,  in  Pontus,  and  Asia, 
Phrygia,  and  Pamphylia,  in  Egypt,  and  in  the  parts  of  Libya  about  Gy- 
rene, and  strangers  of  Eome,  Jews  and  proselytes,  Cretes  and  Arabians, 
vre  do  hear  them  speak  in  our  tongues  the  wonderful  works  of  God. 
And  they  were  all  amazed,  and  were  in  doubt,  saying  one  to  another, 
What  meaneth  this  ?  Others  mocking  said.  These  men  are  full  of  new 
wine. 

But  Peter,  standing  up  with  the  eleven,  lifted  up  his  voice,  and  eaid 
unto  them,  "  Ye  men  of  Judea,  and  all  ye  that  dwell  at  Jerusalem,  bo 
this  known  unto  jou,  and  hearken  to  my  words:  For  these  are  not 
drunken,  as  ye  suppose,  seeing  it  is  but  the  third  hour  of  the  day.  But 
this  is  that  which  was  spoken  by  the  prophet  Joel :  '  And  it  shall  come 
to  pass  in  the  last  days,  saith  God,  I  will  pour  out  of  my  Spirit  upon  all 
flesh :  and  your  sons  and  your  daughters  shall  prophesy,  and  your  young 
men  shall  see  visions,  and  your  old  men  shall  dream  dreams :  and  on  ray 
servants  and  on  my  handmaidens  I  will  pour  out  in  those  days  of  my 
Spirit :  and  they  shall  prophesy :  and  I  will  show  wonders  in  lieaven 
above,  and  signs  in  the  earth  beneath;  blood,  and  lire,  and  vapor  of 
smoke :  the  sun  shall  be  turned  into  darkness,  and  the  moon  into  blood, 
before  that  great  and  notable  day  of  tlie  Lord  come  :  and  it  shall  come 
to  pass,  that  whosoever  shall  call  on  the  name  of  the  Lord  shall  be 
saved,' 

"  Ye  men  of  Israel,  hear  these  words :  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  a  man  ap- 
proved of  God  among  you  by  miracles,  and  wonders,  and  signs,  which 
God  did  by  him  in  the  midst  of  you,  as  ye  yourselves  also  know :  Him, 
being  delivered  by  the  determinate  counsel  and  foreknowledge  of  God, 
ye  have  taken,  and  by  wicked  hands  have  crucified  and  slain :  whom 
God  hath  raised  up,  having  loosed  the  pains  of  death :  because  it  was 
not  possible  that  he  should  be  holden  of  it.  Therefore,  being  by  the 
right  hand  of  God  exalted,  and  having  received  of  the  Father  the  prom- 
ise of  the  Holy  Ghost,  he  hath  shed  forth  this  which  ye  now  see  and 
hear." 

Now,  when  they  heard  this,  they  were  pricked  in  their  heart,  and 
said  unto  Peter  and  to  the  rest  of  the  apostles,  Men  and  brethren,  what 
shall  we  do  ?  Then  Peter  said  unto  them,  "  Eepent,  and  be  baptized 
every  one  of  you,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  the  remission  of  sins, 
and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  For  the  promise  is 
imto  you,  and  to  your  children,  and  to  all  that  are  afar  off,  even  as 
many  as  the  Lord  our  God  shall  call."  And  with  many  other  words 
did  he  testify  and  exhort,  saying.  Save  yourselves  from  this  untoward 
generation. 

Then  they  that  gladly  received  his  word  were  baptized;   and  the 


CONVEESIOK   OF   SAINT   PAUL.  3 

same  (lay  there  were  added  unto  them  about  three  thousand  souls. 
And  they  continued  steadfastly  in  the  apostles'  doctrine  and  fellowship, 
and  in  breaking  of  bread,  and  in  prayers.  And  fear  came  upon  every 
soul ;  and  many  wonders  and  signs  were  done  by  the  apostles.  And  all 
that  believed  were  together,  and  had  all  things  common :  and  sold  their 
possessions  and  goods,  and  parted  them  to  all  men,  as  every  man  liad 
need. 

And  they,  continuing  daily  with  one  accord  in  the  temple,  and  break- 
ing bread  from  house  to  house,  did  eat  their  meat  with  gladness  and 
singleness  of  heart,  praising  God,  and  having  favor  with  all  the  people. 
And  the  Lord  added  to  the  church  daily  such  as  should  be  saved. 


Thus  was  the  new  order  of  supernatural  manifestations  initiated 
by  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  primitive  Revival  was  prolonged  and 
extended  uutil,  within  a  brief  period,  the  mighty  accumulation  of 
converts  at  Jerusalem  threatened  to  preponderate  over  the  sects  that 
had  hitherto  shared  the  dominion  of  that  religious  metropolis,  and 
alarmed  them  into  desperate  and  furious  ijersecution.  The  martyr- 
dom of  Stephen  was  the  signal  of  a  general  onslaught,  in  which 
Saul  of  Tarsus  took  a  conspicuous  if  not  a  leading  part.  The  unre- 
sisting flock  were  dispersed  before  their  enemies  like  chaff,  and  thus 
in  the  wisdom  of  Divine  Providence,  wide  regions  were  at  once  over- 
spread by  a  fugitive  but  witnessing  church,  and  more  than  ever 
"  mightily  grew  the  word  of  God,  and  prevailed  :" 

"And  they  were  all  scattered  abroad  throughout  the  regions  of  Judasa 
md  Samaria,  except  the  apostles.  As  for  Saul,  he  made  havoc  of  the 
'hurch,  entering  into  every  house,  and  haling  men  and  women,  commit- 
€d  them  to  prison.  Therefore  they  that  were  scattered  abroad  went 
•verywhere  preaching  the  word." 

"  I  verily  thought,"  says  Paul  in  his  defence  before  Agrippa — 

"I  verily  thought  with  myself,  that  I  ought  to  do  many  things  con- 
•ary  to  the  name  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  "Which  thing  I  also  did  in  Jeru- 
ilem :  and  many  of  the  saints  did  I  shut  up  in  jH'ison,  having  received 
ithority  from  the  chief  priests ;  and  when  they  were  put  to  death,  I 
ive  my  voice  against  them.  And  I  punished  them  oft  in  every  syna- 
)gue,  and  compelled  them  to  blaspheme ;  and  being  exceedingly  mad 
■•ainst  them,  I  persecuted  them  even  unto  strange  cities. 

"  Whereupon  as  I  went  to  Damascus  with  authority  and  commission 
■3m  the  chief  priests ;  at  midday,  0  king,  I  saw  in  the  way  a  light  from 
'.aven,  above  the  brightness  of  the  sun'^  shining  round  about  me,  and 


4:  CONVERSION    OF   SAINT   PAUL. 

them  wliicli  journeyed  with  me.  And  when  we  were  all  fallen  to  the 
earth,  I  heard  a  voice  speaking  unto  me,  and  saying  in  tlie  Hebrew 
tongue,  Saul,  Saul,  Avhy  persecutest  thou  me  ?  it  is  hard  for  thee  to  kick 
against  the  pricks.  And  I  said,  'Who  art  thou,  Lord?'  And  he  said,  'I 
am  Jesus  whom  thou  persecutest.  But  rise,  and  stand  upon  thy  feet : 
for  I  have  appeared  unto -thee  for  this  purpose,  to  make  thee  a  minister 
and  a  witness  both  of  these  things  which  thou  hast  seen,  and  of  those  things 
in  the  which  I  will  appear  unto  thee ;  delivering  thee  from  the  people 
and  from  the  Gentiles,  unto  whom  now  I  send  thee,  to  open  their  eyes, 
a  ad  to  turn  them  from  darkness  to  light  and  from  the  power  of  Satan 
unto  God,  that  they  may  receive  forgiveness  of  sins  and  inheritance 
among  them  which  are  sanctified  by  faith  that  is  in  me.'  " 

Speaking  before  his  countrymen,  he  adds  : 

"  And  they  that  were  with  me  saw  the  light,  and  were  afraid ;  but, 
they  heard  not  the  voice  of  him  that  spake  to  me.  And  I  said,  '  What 
shall  I  do,  Lord  ?'  xind  the  Lord  said  unto  me,  'Arise,  and  go  into  Damas- 
cus ;  and  there  it  shall  be  told  thee  of  all  things  which  are  appointed  for 
thee  to  do.' 

"And  when  I  could  not  see  for  the  glory  of  that  light,  being  led  by 
the  hand  of  them  tliat  were  with  me,  I  came  into  Damascus.  And  one 
Ananias,  a  devout  man  according  to  the  law,  having  q.  good  report  of  all 
the  Jews  which  dwelt  there,  came  unto  me,  and  stood,  and  said  unto  me, 
'  Brother  Saul,  receive  thy  sight.'  And  the  same  hour  I  looked  up  upon 
him.  And  he  said,  '  The  God  of  our  fathers  liath  chosen  thee,  that  thou 
shouldst  know  liis  will,  and  see  that  Just  One,  and  shouldest  hear  the 
voice  of  his  mouth.  For  thou  shalt  be  his  witness  unto  all  men  of  what 
thou  hast  seen  and  heard.  And  now  why  tarriest  thou  ?  arise,  and  bo 
baptized,  and  wash  away  thy  sins,  calling  on  the  name  of  the  Lord.' " 

And  the  followiDg*  connected  particulars  arc  added  by  Luke  : 

"  And  he  was  three  days  without  sight,  and  neither  did  eat  nor  drink. 
And  there  was  a  certain  disciple  at  Damascus,  named  Ananias;  and  to 
him  said  the  Lord  in  a  vision,  'Ananias.'  And  he  said,  'Behold,  I  am 
here,  Lord.'  And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  'Arise,  and  go  into  the  street 
wliich  is  called  Straight,  and  inquire  in  the  house  of  Judas  for  one  called 
Saul,  of  Tarsus :  for,  behold,  he  prayeth,  and  hath  seen  in  a  vision  a  man 
named  Ananias  coming  in,  and  patting  his  hand  on  him,  that  he  might 
receive  his  sight.'  Then  Ananias  answered,  'Lord,  I  have  heard  by 
many  of  this  man,  how  much  evil  he  hath  done  to  thy  saints  at  Jerusa- 
lem :  and  here  he  hath  authority  from  the  chief  priests  to  bind  all  that 
call  on  thy  name.'  But  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  '  Go  thy  way :  for  he  is 
a  chosen  vessel  unto  me,  to  bear  my  name  before  the  Gentiles,  and  kings, 
and  the  children  of  Israel:  for  I  will  shew  him  how  great  things  he  must' 
sutler  for  my  name's  sake.'  And  Ananias  went  liis  way,  and  entered 
into  the  house;  and  putting  his  hands  on  him  said,  'Brother  Saul,  the 
Lord,  even  Jesus,  that  appeared  unto  thee  in  the  way  as  thou  camest, 


TIIE    GOSPEL    TRIUMPHANT,    AND    UETRAYED.  5 

liath  sent  me,  that  thou  mightest  receive  thy  sight,  and  be  filled  with  the 
IIolj  Ghost.'  And  immediately  there  fell  from  liis  eyes  as  it  had  been 
scales :  and  iie  received  sight  forthwith,  and  arose,  and  was  baptized. 
And  when  he  had  received  moat,  he  was  strengthened." 

From  this  time  forth  and  by  this  Apostle,  the  Gospel  was  pro- 
claimed and  the  churches  of  Christ  were  planted,  confirmed,  and 
established,  throughout  Asia  Minor  and  the  islands  and  shores  of 
the  Mediterranean,  embracing  the  whole  world  of  intellect,  letters, 
arts,  commerce,  and  empire,  at  that  day.  No  obstruction  stayed 
the  triumphant  progress  of  that  Gospel,  so  witnessed  and  thus  de- 
livered to  the  charge  of  faithful  siiccessors.  Repeated  and  over- 
whelming persecutions  proved  but  flood-tides  that  swept  it  onward 
to  universal  dominion.  Nothing  stayed  it,  till  it  reached  the  fatal 
eminence  of  imperial  power.  Thence  to  its  next  great  revival,  is  a 
dark  interval  of  a  thousand  years,  in  which  the  eye  pauses  on  no 
resting  place. 


That  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  He  who  said  to  his  cliurch,  "  Lo,  I 
am  with  you  alway,"  were  inactive  or  inefficient  during  this  millen- 
nium of  desolation,  it  were  impiety  to  conceive.  Great  preparatory 
processes,  commensurate  with  this  great  extent  of  time,  though  per- 
haps inscrutable  as  yet  to  our  philosophy,  were  doubtless  wrought 
in  secret  and  disguise,  under  all  the  dark  history  of  Romanized 
Europe  in  the  Middle  Ages.  For  out  of  that  mysterious  laboratory 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  Divine  Providence,  "  in  the  fullness  of  time," 
sprang  the  stupendous  spiritual  movement  of  the  REFORiiATiox — not, 
indeed,  of  any  virtue  in  the  chaotic  materials,  but  by  virtue  of  an 
indwelling  Spirit  who,  far  from  having  forsaken  the  Church,  had 
doubtless  never  for  one  hour  suspended  His  all-wise  and  almighty 
work,  though  lost  to  human  view,  and  almost  forgotten  by  man,  until 
the  offspring  of  the  wondrous  task  was  ready  for  the  birth. 

Darkness  covered  i\\2  earth,  and  gross  darkness  the  people — deep- 
ening as  if  to  endless  night.  If  a  star  or  two  appeared,  it  was  only 
to  be  quenched  apparently  in  clouds  of  devastating  w'ar.  None 
could  see  a  harbinger  or  promise  of  returning  day,  at  the  period 
when  the  secret  work  of  Providence  was  ripe,  and  the  morning  watch 
came  on  unperceived — and  God  said,  Let  there  be  light!    ThenWic- 


6  ITS    RESURRECTION. 

lifife,  the  morning  star  of  the  Reformation,  arose  before  the  dawn,  in 
the  fourteenth  century,  clothed  in  the  light  of  a  reopened  Bible. 
Soon  after,  in  the  beginning  of  the  fifteenth,  John  Huss  caught  the 
reflection,  and  added  to  it  the  flame  of  his  martyrdom.  The  revival 
of  letters  advanced.  Twenty-four  universities  arose  in  less  than  a 
hundred  years.  In  the  midst  of  this  movement,  the  art  of  printing 
was  given,  imparting  an  impetus  to  literature,  which  had  been  other- 
wise inconceivable,  and  providing  the  swift  and  subtle  agent  by  which 
the  infant  Reformation  was  to  surprise  and  overpower  its  great  ad- 
versary unawares.  At  the  same  juncture  the  Mohammedan  power, 
overwhelming  the  Eastern  metropolis,  swept  the  remnant  of  Greek 
learning  into  Europe.  Finally,  in  and  about  the  last  quarter  of  the 
same  memorable  century,  Luther,  Zuinglius,  Cranmer,  Melanchthon, 
Knox,  aiid  Calvin,  with  other  mighty  champions  of  the  truth,  were 
born.  Little  thought  the  simple  mothers  what  they  had  in  their 
cradles.  But  God's  time  was  at  hand,  and  the  final  preparations 
for  his  work  were  now  masked  under  the  form  of  a  few  poor  men's 
babes. 

0  God  !  when  thou  wentest  forth  before  thy  people  ;  when  thou 
didst  march  through  the  wilderness  ;  the  earth  shook,  the  heavens 
also  dropped,  at  the  presence  of  God  !  .  .  .  .  The  Lord  gave  the 
word  :  great  was  the  company  of  those  that  published  it.     In  the 
beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century  the  unlooked-for  heralds  came, 
proclaiming  free  salvation  by  Christ  crucified  :  first,  Lefevre,  Farel, 
Briconnet,  Chatelain,  and  their  friends,  in  France  ;  then  Zuinglius, 
in  Switzerland,  and  almost  at  the  same  moment  the  giant  of  the 
Reformation,  Martin  Luther,  in  Germany — each  attended  by  a  host 
of  zealous  and  able  coadjutors,  both  in  church  and  state — Ecolam- 
padius,  Melanchthon,  Calvin — preachers,  scholars,  princes,  and  nobles 
soon  Tyndale,  with   his   printed   English  Testament,  in  England 
Patrick  Hamilton,  George  Wishart,  and  John  Knox,  In  Scotland 
John  Tanssen,  in  Denmark  ;  John  Laski,  in  Poland  ;  Olaus  Petri 
and  Laurentius,  in  Sweden,  and  humbler  names  without  number,  in 
every  quarter  ;  all  these  arose  at  once,  or  within  little  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  by  the  mysterious  spirit  and  providence  of  God, 
filled  Europe  with  their  doctrine,  and  triumphantly  established  the 
truth  of  the  Gospel  in  the  countries  now  Protestant,  within  periods 


THE   REFOEMATION.  7 

varying  from  ten  to  fifty  years  from  the  date  of  this  marvellous  up- 
rising. 

Much,  iucleed,  of  what  is  commonly  called  the  Reformation, 
belongs  to  a  kingdom  that  is  only  of  this  world.  PoUtical  power 
and  ambition,  political  alliance  and  protection,  political  means  and 
appliances,  were  the  bane  of  its  spirituahty  and  purity,  and  while 
these  elements  seemed  indeed  to  preserve  it  from  extinction,  it  is 
probable  that  in  some  cases,  as  in  France,  they  w^ere  also  its  ruin. 
The  struggle  for  liberty,  beginning  in  the  struggle  for  divine  truth, 
was  long  identified  with  it,  and  fastened  its  changing  fortunes  upon 
the  cause  of  the  gospel.  The  progress  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ 
through  this  stormy  chaos  of  good  and  evil,  is  what  all  can  witness, 
but  none  can  clearly  trace,  save  the  All-wise  Being  who  directs  both 
the  operation  and  the  result.  Now,  however,  the  confusion  is  mea- 
surably cleared.  The  vexed  elements  have  gradually  settled  and 
separated  ;  the  contradiction  in  nature  which  severs  the  heavenly 
from  all  earthly  kingdoms,  begins  to  be  apprehended  ;  and  we  can 
contemplate  the  Reformation  proper,  in  distinction  from  the  mere 
politico-religious  changes  attached  to  it.  To  contemplate  this  pure 
heavenly  object,  we  must  seek  it  in  the  hearts  of  God's  people. 
Eminent  illustrations  of  its  power  and  quality  will  be  found  in 
another  part  of  this  volume,  exhibiting  the  essence  of  the  Reforma- 
tion, which  history  cannot  represent.  So  much  of  the  historical 
Reformation  was  the  mere  creation  or  rather  fiction,  of  law,  that  the 
measure  of  true  religious  improvement  effected  in  the  Protestantized 
churches  is  often  left  extremely  dubious.  But  here  in  the  inner  life 
whose  records  are  preserved  to  us,  we  have  a  veritable,  unambigu- 
ous substance.  Here  is  the  revived  power  of  the  doctrine  of  the 
Cross  of  Christ  ;  here  is  the  secret  of  a  revolution  equal,  and  we  may 
hope  more  than  equal,  to  that  which  in  a  similar  length  of  time 
(three  centuries)  had  at  first  broken  the  power  of  paganism  as  that 
of  popery  is  now  broken,  and  placed  Christianity  on  the  throne  of  the 
Caesars.  Here  is  once  more  a  supernatural  wonder,  an  operation  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  in  common  language  a  revival,  a  restoration  of  life, 
a  spiritual  resurrection,  of  the  most  amazing  and  glorious  character. 
Scarcely  less  sudden  and  overwhelming  than  the  descent  of  Pente- 
cost, with  the  subsequent  general  spreading  of  the  gospel  by  Paul, 


O  NEW   EPOCHS   OF  REVIVAL. 

and  perhaps  hardly  inferior  to  the  same  in  the  multitude  of  its 
converts  and  the  number  and  piety  of  its  martyrs,  while  to  all 
appearance  beyond  comparison  with  it  in  the  permanence  of  its 
impulse  and  the  magnitude  of  its  immediate  fruits — it  is  identified 
with  the  primitive  revival  in  its  central  principle,  Christ  crucified, 
and  closely  resembles  it  as  a  spiritual  springtime  awakening  at  the 
word  of  God  out  of  the  profoundest  depth  of  wintry  desolation,  but 
not  without  a  patient  sowing  of  precious  seed  long  previous,  and  an 
unconscious  softening  and  preparation  of  the  common  heart  by 
Divine  Providence.  The  reforming  preachers  came  to  a  people  long 
involved  in  night ;  but  it  had  been  a  night  of  storm  and  tempest — 
no  stagnant,  putrescent,  Asiatic  calm.  The  mass  of  men  were 
strangers  to  leisure  for  luxurious  vices  and  corrupt  philosophies  : 
their  minds  were  vigorous,  simple,  and  earnest.  Neither  were  they 
hardened  by  habit  to  a  disregarded  gospel.  The  excessive  wicked- 
ness in  high  places  which  had  almost  blotted  out  the  memory  of  true 
Christianity,  had  saved  the  common  people  from  that  most  deadly, 
depraving  and  indurating  form  of  sin,  the  disbelief  and  contempt  of 
revealed  truth  and  a  crucified  Saviour.  The  news  of  such  a  Saviour 
once  announced,  flew  like  the  winds  among  "  a  people  prepared  for 
the  Lord  "  more  perfectly  perhaps  than  we  can  guess,  by  the  very 
miseries  of  their  state  ;  and  being  welcomed  with  exultation,  were 
cherished  with  a  tenacity  which  death  and  torture  could  not 
relax. 


The  great  and  only  apostasy  foretold  by  the  apostles  having 
passed,  we  naturally  look  for  a  steady  forward  movement  of  the 
kingdom  of  Christ  from  thence  ;  and  to  this  day  we  are  not  dis- 
appointed. Successive  epochs  of  revival  have  continued  to  develop 
a  growing  freedom  and  fullness  in  the  Gospel,  as  apprehended  by  its 
votaries,  with  enlarged  designs  and  advanced  methods  of  union  and 
effort  for  the  evangelization  of  mankind.  It  will  be  found  remarka- 
ble, upon  a  slight  examination,  that  the  Gospel  was  first  offered  in 
the  simple,  concrete  form,  of  adherence  to  the  person  of  Jesus 
of  Nazareth  as  the  Messiah,  leaving  the  religious  exercises  and 
doctrines  involved  in  this  act  of  submission  and  faith,  to  be  developed 
progressively  in  the  practice  of  religion,  by  the  teachings  of  the 


CHARACTERISTICS.^  9 

Holy  Spirit.  Tlie  fact  of  Christ's  resurrection,  was  the  single 
symbol  of  faith  presented  to  the  people  by  the  Jewish  apostles  on 
the  day  of  Pentecost.  "  God  hath  made  that  same  Jesus  w^hom  ye 
have  crucified,  both  Lord  and  Christ."  In  every  subsequent  demon- 
stration of  the  Spirit,  the  person  of  Christ  crucified  has  been  in  like 
manner  the  centre  of  faith  and  attraction,  but  with  some  special  and 
explicit  disclosure  of  tj^e  mode  of  salvation  by  Him,  demanded  by 
the  times,  and  leading  to  important  practical  enlargement  and 
advance.  The  great  development  and  elucidation  of  the  mode 
of  salvation,  given  through  the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  was  such  as 
to  lead  naturalizing  philosophers  wha  are  ignorant  of  the  common 
source  of  life  in  the  person  of  Christ,  to  suppose  that  it  was  nothing- 
less  than  another  gospel,  and  a  doctrinal  schism  from  the  church 
at  Jerusalem,  of  which  Paul  was  the  leader  !  The  substance  of  his 
teaching  was,  "  that  a  man  is  justified  by  faith  [in  Christ  as  his 
Saviour]  without  the  works  of  the  law  ;"  and  in  this  shape  the  gospel 
filled  the  old  Roman  world.  The  form  in  which  the  same  gospel 
revived  at  the  Reformation,  was  justification  by  faith  in  Christ,  not 
only  without  the  works  of  the  law,  but  without  the  ohservances  of 
religion — loithout,  in  neither  case  signifying  in  the  absence  of,  the 
works  or  observances  referred  to,  but  simply  that  such  works  or 
observances,  however  obligatory,  contribute  nothing  to  the  justifica- 
tion of  sinners.  The  old  Jewish  notion  of  sacerdotal  mediums  of 
grace,  against  which  Paul  began  the  contest,  had  taken  and  held 
possession  of  the  church  in  a  modernized  form,  which  the  Reforma- 
tion was  (or  rather  is)  to  eradicate  we  trust  finally.  We  come  now 
to  a  new  revival  epoch,  in  which  the  fact  of  regeneration  was  to  be 
brought  out  prominently  into  the  Christian  consciousness,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  gift  of  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Up  to  the  present  time,  we  have  little  further  to  say  of  conti- 
nental Europe,  as  touching  the  direct  and  marked  advance  of 
Christianity.  The  time  is  not  yet  come.  Turning  to  Britain  and 
America,  we  find  one  more  great  period  of  this  kind  to  examine  and 
understand.  Here  the  Reformation,  having  been  less  speedily  settled, 
had  time  and  occasion,  through  protracted  conflict,  to  develop  fully 
its  distinguishing  feature,  which  we  have  defined  as  justification  by 
faith,  independent  of  the  observances  of  religion,  or  in  other  words, 

1* 


10  JUSTIFICATION    WITHOUT    THE    CHUKCH. 

of  the  church.  On  the  Contiuent,  the  Reformation,  wherever  it  was 
successful,  was  settled  by  law,  within  the  lifetime  of  a  single  genera- 
tion at  farthest  ;  and  therefore  stopped  very  near  its  starting-point, 
of  justification  independent  of  the  Church  of  Rome.  The  genius  of 
British  liberty  admitted  of  no  such  incomplete  and  inconsistent  con- 
clusion. Although  the  accession  of  Elizabeth  early  terminated  the 
political  sway  of  Rome,  yet  the  conflict  with  Romish  church  princi- 
ples at  home,  continued,  bitter  and  bloody,  down  to  the  period  of  the 
Revolution,  about  a  century  later.  All  that  period  embracing  the 
reigns  of  Elizabeth,  James,  and  the  two  Charleses,  was  marked 
by  seasons  of  furious  persecution,  even  to  the  death,  of  those  who 
claimed  an  absolute  justification  in  Christ,  and  openly  rejected  the 
intervention  of  the  church  as  the  channel  of  atonement.  Such  was 
the  substance  of  what  was  called  Nonconformity,  and  such  was  the 
substance  of  the  quarrel  between  it  and  the  established  church,  not- 
withstanding that  many  more  superficial  questions  were  often  made 
perhaps  unnecessarily  prominent  as  occasions  of  dispute.  The  names 
of  Baxter  and  Bunyan,  and  the  history  of  the  Scottish  Covenanters, 
need  only  to  be  mentioned  in  illustration  of  the  character  and  suf- 
ferings of  the  true  Protestants  of  this  period.  Their  strength  and 
their  importance  to  the  spiritual  condition  and  future  of  Britain,  are 
illustrated  by  the  fact  that"  no  less  than  two  thousand  ministers  in  a 
then  small  kingdom,  sacrificed  their  places  by  refusing  to  obey  the 
Act  of  Uniformity  under  the  second  Charles.  There  is  reason,  how- 
ever, to  believe  that  the  exodus  of  Nonconformists  to  America, 
may  yet  prove  to  have  been  the  most  important  of  the  many  inesti- 
mable fruits  of  that  great  conflict. 

The  English  church  had  been  "reformed"  by  act  of  Parliament 
under  Edward  YI.,  counter-reformed  in  the  same  way  under  Queen 
Mary,  and  re-reformed  by  Queen  Elizabeth — the  great  body  of  the 
clergy  holding  fast  their  benefices  with  unscrupulous  tenacity 
throughout  these  ricissitudes.  Nineteen-twentieths  of  Queen  Mary's 
clergy  became  Queen  Elizabeth's  clergy  without  compunction,  and 
certainly  without  conversion.  The  Reformation  was  not  in  them, 
assuredly.  It  is  not  surprising  therefore,  that  generally  speaking 
both  religious  knowledge  and  morals,  among  people  and  clergy, 
remained  at   the  lowest  ebb  ;   and   that  the  church,  after  being 


OEOENERACY    AFTER   THE   CIVIL    WAIi.  11 

purged  of  the  most  of  its  piety  and  learning  by  the  Act  of  Uni- 
formity, continued  to  descend  in  the  moral  scale,  carrying  the 
people  with  it,  until,  after  the  accession  of  the  House  of  Hanover,  the 
scandalous  condition  of  the  country  was  perhaps  unequalled  in 
Europe.  Bishop  Burnet  says  that  candidates  for  ordination  were 
commonly  quite  unacquainted  with  the  Bible,  and  unable  even  to  give 
an  account  of  the  statements  in  the  church  catechism.  When  they 
re-appeared  before  him  to  obtain  institution  to  a  living,  it  was  still 
apparent  in  many  that  they  had  not  ''read  the  Scriptures  nor  any 
other  good  book  since  they  were  ordained."  "  Of  all  the  ministers 
of  religion  he  had  seen  in  the  course  of  his  extensive  travels — 
Papists,  Lutherans,  Calvinists,  and  Dissenters — they  were  the  most 
remiss  in  their  labors,  and  the  least  severe  in  their  lives." 

A  writer  of  the  time  refers  to  family  prayer  as  "a  custom 
entirely  neglected  by  men  of  any  business  or  station."  Lady  Mary 
Wortley  wrote  in  It  10,  that  there  were  "  more  atheists  among  the 
fine  ladies  than  among  the  loosest  sort  of  rakes."  Ignorance  and 
drunkenness,  it  is  stated,  were  the  predominant  qualities  of  the 
working  classes;  licentiousness  and  infidelity  of  the  higher.  Mon- 
tesquieu, who  visited  England  in  It 29-31,  protested  that  the 
English  had  no  religion  at  all.  "  If  any  one,"  he  said,  "  spoke  of  it, 
everybody  laughed."  Low  as  religion  had  sunk  in  France,  he 
confessed  that  he  himself  had  not  enough  of  it  to  satisfy  his  country- 
men ;  and  yet  he  found  that  he  had  too  much  to  suit  English 
society.  Of  the  clergy,  even  as  late  as  1781,  Cowper  could  write 
without  fear  of  contradiction  : 

Except  a  few  with  Eli's  spirit  blest, 

Hoplini  and  Phineas  may  describe  the  rest!* 

In  the  American  colonies,  although  for  obvious  reasons,  these 
wretched  extremes  of  impiety  were  not  to  be  looked  for,  yet  from 
their  intimate  connection  with  the  mother  country,  it  was  but 
natural  that  an  unprecedented  dearth  of  religion  and  deterioration 
of  morals  should  prevail  at  this  time.  Such  was  the  condition  of  the 
English  people,  on  both  sides  the  Atlantic,  on  the  eve  of  the  Great 

*  Lcndou  Quarterly  Review,  No.  cciv.,  pp.  253-255. 


12  A    GLOOMY    SEED-TIME. 

Awakening  of  the  18th  century.  "It  is  time  for  Thee,  Lord,  to 
work  :  for  they  have  made  void  Thy  law." 

It  is  affecting  to  review  the  part  which  fell  to  the  Evangelical 
Protestants  of  Britain,  in  the  ITth  century,  especially.  The  com- 
manding political  elements  of  the  Reformation  lent  visible  dignity 
and  hope  to  the  Protestant  party,  in  the  most  worldly  eyes,  and 
cheered  the  natural  man  with  constant  exercise  and  achievement 
throughout  all  vicissitudes.  All  was  otherwise  after  the  legal 
Reformation  was  settled,  and  the  battle  remained  to  be  fought  with 
spiritual  weapons  alone,  in  political  helplessness,  social  contempt, 
and  the  absence  of  every  support  and  resource  upon  which  men  can 
naturally  depend.  Stripped  and  emptied  of  everything  but  Christ, 
the  believers  of  this  time  became  preeminent  in  faith  and  patience, 
in  the  midst  of  overwhelming  wickedness.  Nor  was  it  given  them 
to  see  aught  with  eyes  of  the  great  issue  of  their  weak  and  despised 
toils.  They  were  sternly  tried  to  the  end.  Their  place  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  church  was  of  the  first  order,  their  influence  was  to  be 
momentous,  their  life  and  teaching  was  the  seed  from  which  God 
would  raise  up  the  church  of  Britain  and  America,  which  we  now 
see  and  shall  see  ;  and  affliction  and  oppression  could  neither  be 
withheld  nor  relaxed,  for  them,  until  the  severely  winnowed  wheat 
was  all  sown  of  pure  faith,  unmixed  with  any  elements  of  mere  na- 
ture which  ruin  itself  could  crush  out.  They  sowed  in  tears,  and 
but  for  Christ  in  despair  ;  wasting  and  diminishing  they  sowed  on, 
while  the  seed  fell  into  the  ground  and  died,  the  wintry  autumn 
grew  more  desolate  and  sere,  and  one  by  one  they  closed  their '  eyes 
on  frozen  fields  of  buried  grain  which  seemed  to  mock  the  hope  of 
resurrection. 

Thus  they  left  it,  at  the  period  of  unprecedented  profanity  and 
lewdness,  which  we  have  described  as  occurring  in  the  first  quarter  of 
the  eighteenth  century.  Who  could  have  thought  that  the  springtime 
was  at  hand,  and  the  harvesters  of  God  were  already  preparing  to  go 
forth  to  the  greatest  ingathering  of  souls  that  English  eyes  had  ever 
seen  ?  The  sacred  poet,  Watts,  survived  in  mellow  age,  like  the 
apostle  John,  an  unscathed  relic  of  ruthless  times  that  seemed  to  have 
respected  in  spite  of  themselves  the  rapt  serenity  of  his  life,  and  left 
it  uninvaded.     Philip  Doddridge,  a  younger  man,  almost  a  child  of 


13 

that  century,  was  entering  a  career  of  popularity  and  usefulness  as 
a  dissenting  minister  ;  destined  to  welcome  and  promote,  though  he 
had  no  immediate  share  in  originating,  the  new  order  of  things  in  relig- 
ion which  was  about  to  arise.  Besides  these  two,  we  recall  no  emin- 
ent men  of  God  then  surviving  to  link  the  new  revival  personally 
with  that  period  of  patience  and  faithfulness  unto  death,  which  had 
waned  to  such  a  cheerless  close  in  the  almost  undisputed  wickedness 
of  the  time. 


About  a  quarter  of  the  century  had  passed  away,  when  a  boy  at 
Oxford,  Charles  AVesley  by  name,  began  to  be  concerned  about  the 
conscientious  improvement  of  his  time,  which  had  before  been  lost 
in  idle  diversions,  and  commenced  diligently  to  observe  the  method 
of  study  prescribed  by  the  statutes  of  the  University.  Others  joined 
him,  forming  a  little  society,  distinguished  by  observance  of  the  method 
of  study  and  of  the  sacramental  observances  and  means  of  grace. 
A  thing  so  extraordinary  in  that  day  as  serious  attention  to  study 
and  religious  worship,  even  on  the  part  of  a  handful  of  boys,  could 
not  pass  without  observation  and  ridicule,  and  young  Wesley  and  his 
friends,  from  their  regard  to  the  method  of  study,  soon  went  by  the 
slang  epithet  of  "  the  Methodists."  John  Wesley,  who  was  five 
years  older  than  Charles,  now  four  years  a  serious  and  devout  clergy- 
man of  the  Church  of  England,  at  this  time  returned  to  Oxford  as  a 
tutor,  and  joining  the  little  society  of  "  Methodists,"  became  a  mas- 
ter-spirit among  them.  Their  earnestness  and  austerity  in  religion 
deepened  to  a  wonderful  extent,  and  exhibited  itself  in  unbounded 
self-denials,  charities,  fastings,  prayers,  and  labors,  in  all  which  they 
found  no  spiritual  peace,  yet  persevered  in  spite  of  opposition, 
defamation,  and  contempt. 

Four  or  five  years  had  thus  passed  over  the  heads  of  these  young 
devotees,  when  an  indigent  student  entered  as  a  servitor ^  defraying 
his  college  expenses  by  performing  menial  offices  in  the  rooms  of  the 
wealthier  young  men  in  the  University.  This  was  George  Whitefield, 
then  eighteen  years  of  age,  both  by  nature  and  grace  marked  as  the 
greatest  beyond  comparison  of  those  among  whom  he  moved  as  a 
menial.  He  was  strongly  attracted  towards  the  Wesleys  and  their 
associates,  by  their  earnest  religious  life,  but  from  the  poverty  of  his 


14  THE 

station  dared  not  intrude  himself  upon  their  notice.  But  having 
been  named  to  Charles  Wesley  by  a  poor  woman  whom  he  had  em- 
ployed on  an  errand  of  charity,  he  was  sought  out,  and  introduced 
to  the  little  brotherhood,  of  which  he  became  one  of  the  most  zeal- 
ous members.  It  was  among  their  rules,  for  example,  frequently 
"  to  interrogate  themselves  whether  they  have  been  simple  and  recol- 
lected, whether  they  have  prayed  with  fervor,  on  Monday,  Wednes- 
day, Friday,  and  Saturday  noon  ;  if  they  have  used  a  collect  at 
nine,  twelve,  and  three  o'clock  ;  duly  meditated  on  Sunday,  from 
three  to  four,  on  Thomas  a  Kempis  ;  mused  on  Wednesday  and  Fri- 
day, from  twelve  to  one,  on  the  Passion,"  etc.  "  I  now  began,"  says 
Whitefield,  ''like  them,  to  live  by  rule,  and  to  pick  up  every  frag- 
ment of  my  time,  that  not  a  moment  cf  it  might  be  lost.  Like 
them,  having  no  weekly  sacrament  at  our  college,  although  the 
rubric  required  it,  I  received  it  every  Sunday  at  Christ  Church.  I 
joined  with  them  in  keeping  the  stations,  by  fasting  Wednesdays  and 
Fridays,  and  left  no  means  unused  which  I  thought  would  lead  me 
nearer  to  Christ.  By  degrees,  I  began  to  leave  off  eating  fruits  and 
such  like,  and  gave  the  money  I  usually  spent  in  that  way  to  the 
poor.  Afterwards,  I  chose  the  worst  sort  of  food,  though  my  place 
furnished  me  with  variety.  My  apparel  was  mean.  I  thought  it 
unbecoming  a  penitent  to  have  his  hair  powdered.  I  vvQi'e  woollen 
gloves,  a  patched  gown,  and  dirty  shoes.  It  was  now  suggested 
to  me  that  Jesus  Christ  was  among  the  wild  beasts  when  he 
was  tempted,  and  that  I  ought  to  follow  his  example  ;  and  being 
willing,  as  I  thought,  to  imitate  Jesus  Christ,  after  supper  I  went 
into  Christ  Church  walk,  near  our  college,  and  continued  in  silent 
prayer  nearly  two  hours,  sometimes  lying  on  my  face,  sometimes 
kneeling  upon  my  knees.  The  nigli't  being  stormy,  gave  me  awful 
thoughts  of  the  day  of  judgment.  The  next  day,  I  repeated  the  same 
exercise  at  the  same  place.  After  this,  the  holy  season  of  Lent  came 
on,  which  our  friends  kept  very  strictly,  eating  no  flesh  during  the 
six  weeks,  except  on  Saturdays  and  Sundays.  I  abstained  frequently 
on  Saturdays  also,  and  ate  nothing  on  the  other  days  (except  Sun- 
day) but  sage  tea  without  sugar,  and  coarse  bread.  I  constantly 
walked  out  in  the  cold  mornings  till  one  part  of  my  hands  was  quite 
black." 


CONVERSION   OF   WHITEFIELD.  15 

This  truly  Romish  course  of  penance  and  austerity  linally  exhaust- 
ed nature,  and  threw  him  into  an  alarming  illness  which  lasted  seven 
weeks.  This  sickness  Whitefield  calls,  in  his  journal,  '*  a  glorious 
visitation."  The  constant  brotherly  attentions  of  his  fellow-ascetics, 
the  Wesleys,  with  their  maxims  and  citations,  were  ineffectual  now, 
to  comfort  or  direct  his  mind.  His  course  of  externals,  with  the 
energy  of  the  natural  man  which  had  much  to  do  in  prompting  and 
sustaining  it,  was  effectually  broken  up,  and  his  thoughts  communed 
with  his  own  heart  and  the  word  of  God.  He  spent  much  of  his 
time  in  reading  the  Greek  Testament,  and  in  prayer.  He  gained 
more  clear,  truthful,  and  affecting  views  of  his  own  sinfulness,  and 
saw  how  hopeless  was  the  effort  to  remove  a  sense  of  guilt  by  relig- 
ious observances.  "One  day,"  he  informs  us,  " j^erceiving  an  un- 
comm'on  drought  and  noisome  clamminess  in  my  mouth,  and  using 
things  to  allay  my  thirst  but  in  vain,  it  was  suggested  to  me  that 
when  Jesus  Christ  cried  out  '  I  thirst,^  his  sufferings  were  near  over. 
Upon  this  1  threw  myself  on  the  bed,  and  cried  out,  /  tkirst,  I  thirst .' 
Soon  after,  I  perceived  my  load  to  go  off  ;  a  spirit  of  mourning  was 
taken  from  me,  and  I  knew  what  it  was  truly  to  rejoice  in  the 
Lord."  "  When  I  said  those  words,  /  thirst,  I  thirst,  my  soul  was  in 
an  agony  ;  I  thirsted  for  a  clear  discovery  of  my  pardon  through 
Jesus  Christ,  and  the  seal  of  the  Spirit,  I  was  at  the  same  time 
enabled  to  look  up  with  faith  to  the  glorious  Lord  Jesus  as  dying 
for  sinners,  and  for  some  time  I  could  not  avoid  singing  psalms 
wherever  I  was." 

Whitefield  was  now,  like  the  apostle  whose  life  his  own  most  resem- 
bles, ready  for  action.  Though  strongly  restrained  by  a  humble  diffi- 
dence, his  scruples  were  providentially  overcome,  and  he  was  speedily 
ordained  and  commenced  his  career  as  an  Evangelist,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one.  "  The  discovery  of  a  complete  and  gratuitous  salvation 
filled  with  ecstasy  a  spirit  prepared  to  appreciate  it,  and,  from  their 
great,  deep  breaking,  his  affections  thenceforward  flowed,  impetuous 
and  uninterrupted,  in  the  one  channel  of  love  to  the  Saviour.  He 
traversed  England,  Scotland,  and  Ireland,  for  four  and  thirty  years, 
and  crossed  the  Atlantic  thirteen  times,  proclaiming  the  love  of  God 
and  his  great  gift  to  man.  A  bright  and  exulting  view  of  the  atone- 
ment's sufficiency  was  his  theology  ;  delight  in  God  and  rejoicing  iu 


16  CONVERSION   OF   JOHN   WESLEY. 

Christ  Jesus  were  liis  piety  ;  and  a  compassionate  solicitude  for  the 
souls  of  men  was  his  ruling  passion."  Delivered  like  Paul  from  the 
sorest  bondage  of  the  law,  he  became  like  him,  in  an  eminent  sense, 
Christ's  freeman  ;  lie  loved  all  who  loved  his  Saviour,  with  an  equal 
affection  ;  and  his  expanded  spirit,  incapable  of  a  narrow  conception, 
added  another  beautiful  parallel  to  the  earnestness  with  which  Paul 
trampled  upon  every  thought  of  a  party  for  himself,  "  sent  not  to 
baptize  but  to  preach  the  Gospel,"  and  thankfully  washing  his 
hands  of  any  possible  imputation  of  that  leadership  which  lesser 
good  men  supposed  it  important  to  secure. 

The  conversion  of  the  Wesleys  was  deferred  till  after  a  longer,  if 
perhaps  less  acute,  experience  of  .the  law.  "  I  was  convinced  more 
than  ever,"  says  John  Wesley,  "  of  the  exceeding  height  and  breadth 
and  depth  of  the  law  of  God.  The  light  flowed  in  so  mightily  upon 
my  soul  that  everything  appeared  in  a  new  view.  I  cried  to  God 
for  help,  and  resolved  not  to  prolong  the  time  of  obeying  him,  as  I 
had  never  done  before.  And  by  my  continued  endeavor  to  keep  his 
whole  law,  inward  and  outward,  to  the  best  of  my  power,  I  was  per- 
suaded that  I  should  be  accepted  of  him,  and  that  I  was  even  then 
in  a  state  of  salvation."  In  It 35,  he  went  to  Georgia  as  a  mis- 
sionary to  the  Indians,  where  he  "  spent  his  whole  time  in  works  of 
piety  and  mercy,  and  distributed  his  income  so  profusely  in  charity 
that  for  many  months  together  he  had  not  one  shilling  in  the  house. 
In  the  prosecution  of  his  work  he  exposed  himself  to  every  change 
of  season,  frequently  slept  on  the  ground  under  the  dews  of  night  in 
summer,  and  in  winter  with  his  hair  and  clothes  frozen  to  the  earth. 
On  his  homeward  voyage,  the  language  of  his  still  restless  heart  was  : 
*  I  went  to  America  to  convert  the  Indians  ;  but,  oh  !  who  shall 
convert  me  ?  Who  is  he  that  will  deliver  me  from  this  evil  heart 
of  unbehef  ?  I  have  a  fair  summer  religion  ;  I  can  talk  well  ;  nay, 
I  beheve  myself  safe,  while  no  danger  is  present  ;  but  let  death  look 
me  in  the  face,  and  my  spirit  is  troubled  ;  nor  can  I  say.  To  die  is 
gain.'  A  few  days  after  his  arrival  in  London,  he  met  with  Peter 
Bohler,  a  minister  of  the  Moravian  Church,  '  by  whom,'  he  says,  '  in 
the  hand  of  the  great  God,  I  was  clearly  convinced  of  unbelief,  of 
the  want  of  that  faith  whereby  alone  we  are  saved  with  the  full 
Christian  salvation,'  and  '  who  amazed  me  more  and  more,  by  the 


CONVERSION   OF   CHAELES    WESLEY.  17 

accounts  be  gave  of  the  fruits  of  living  faith,  and  the  holiness  and 
happiness  which  ho  affirmed  to  attend  it.'  On  the  24th  of  May, 
It 38,  Wesley  emerged  out  of  his  darkness  into  marvellous  light,  and 
experienced  for  the  first  time  the  full  liberty  of  the  sons  of  God. 
'  In  the  evening,'  he  says,  '  I  went,  very  unwillingly,  to  a  society  in 
Aldersgate  street,  where  one  was  reading  Luther's  Preface  to  the 
Epistle  to  the  Romans.  About  a  quarter  before  nine,  while  he  was 
describing  the  change  which  God  works  in  the  heart  through  faith 
in  Christ,  I  felt  my  heart  strangely  warmed.  I  felt  I  did  trust  in 
Christ,  Christ  alone  for  salvation  ;  and  an  -assurance  was  given  me 
that  he  had  taken  away  my  sins — even  mine — and  saved  me  from 
the  law  of  sin  and  death.'  " 

"  His  brother  Charles  was  also  made  partaker  of  the  same  grace. 
They  had  passed  together  through  the  briers  and  thorns,  through 
the  perplexities  and  shadows,  of  the  legal  wilderness,  and  the  hour 
of  their  deliverance  was  not  far  separated.  Bohler  visited  Charles 
in  his  sickness  at  Oxford  ;  but  the  *  Pharisee  within '  was  somewhat 
oflfended  when  the  honest  German  shook  his  head  at  learning  that 
his  hope  of  salvation  rested  upon  '  his  best  endeavors.'  After  his 
recovery,  the  reading  of  Haliburton's  Life  produced  in  him  a  sense 
of  his  want  of  that  faith  which  brings  peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Bohler  visited  him  again  in  London  ;  and  he  began 
seriously  to  consider  the  doctrine  which  he  urged  upon  him.  Luther 
on  the  Galatians  then  fell  into  his  hands  ;  and  on  reading  the  pre- 
face he  observes,  '  I  marvelled  that  we  were-  so  soon  removed  from 
him  that  called  us  into  the  grace  of  Christ,  unto  another  gospel. 
Who  would  believe  that  our  church  had  been  founded  on  this 
important  article  of  justification  by  faith  alone  ?' 

"  On  Whitsunday,  May  21st,  Charles  Wesley  awoke  in  hope  and 
expectation  of  soon  obtaining  the  object  of  his  wishes,  the  knowledge 
of  God  reconciled  in  Christ  Jesus.  In  reading  various  portions  of 
Scripture  on  that  day,  he  was  enabled  to  view  Christ  as  set  forth  to 
be  a  propitiation  for  his  sins  through  faith  in  his  blood  ;  and  he 
received  that  peace  and  rest  in  God  which  he  so  earnestly  sought." 

Nor  were  these  three  the  only  Apostles  whom  God  raised  up 
from  the  little  circle  of  ''  methodical "  devotees  at  Oxford.  There 
were    Ingham,    and    Broughton,  and    Habersham   afterwards   of 


18  CONVEKSIOX    OF   LADY    HUNTINGTON. 

Georgia,  among  them,  with  others  who  afterwards  became  useful  m 
the  great  work,  according  as  the  Lord  gave  to  every  one.  Romaiue 
was  at'  Oxford  then,  but  avoided  and  despised  them  for  their 
"  singulaflty."  Benjamin  Ingham  filled  an  important  part,  both 
directly  and  indirectly,  leading  to  the  conversion  of  one  of  the  most 
efficient  laborers  in  this  period,  the  celebrated  Countess  of  Hunting- 
ton. Full  of  ardent  zeal,  he  accompanied  the  AVesleys  to  Georgia, 
and  with  them  returned  to  proclaim  the  new-found  gospel  in  his 
native  country  of  Yorkshire,  where  he  preached  ''  with  marvelous 
power,"  and  was  speedily  shut  out  from  the  pulpits  of  the  Estab- 
lishment by  ecclesiastical  censure.  Lady  Margaret  Hastings  heard 
of  his  fame  and  invited  him  to  Ledstone  Hall,  where  his  good  news 
were  joyfully  received.  She  was  a  sister  of  the  Earl  of  Hunting- 
ton, whose  gifted  lady  was  among  the  many  whose  hearts  the  Lord 
had  touched  in  secret  and  awakened  to  the  claims  of  his  holy  law, 
before  there  were  any  to  direct  them  to  the  Saviour.  Lady  Hunt- 
ington's heart  had  been  thus  touched  from  early  childhood,  and  at 
the  very  time  when  the  Oxford  ''  Methodists  "  were  groping  anxiously 
in  their  cloister  for  righteousness  by  the  works  of  the  law  and  the 
church,  she,  a  young  bride  in  the  midst  of  the  splendors  and  excite- 
ments of  the  highest  society,  was  striving  in  a  similar  manner  after 
the  same  thing,  with  prayers,  fastings,  charities,  and  scrupulous 
devotion  to  every  duty  and  ordinance.  When  her  sister.  Lady 
Margaret,  unfolded  her  new  religious  experience,  and  said  ''  Since  I 
have  known  and  believed  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  for  salvation,  I 
have  been  as  happy  as  an  angel,"  Lady  Huntington  was  astonished 
and  alarmed.  She  knew  nothing  of  such  peace,  although  she  sup- 
posed that  she  had  neglected  nothing  that  could  tend  to  holiness 
and  the  satisfaction  of  the  conscience.  She  fell  under  keener  con- 
viction of  sin,  and  the  intense  conflict  that  ensued  in  her  soul 
was  the  occasion  of  severe  illness,  which  superadded  the  terrors  of 
death  to  the  alarm  of  a  guilty  conscience,  and  broke  down  her  spirit  in 
helpless  despair  at  the  feet  of  Jesus.  "Then  it  was  that  the  words 
of  Lady  Margaret  came  laden  with  wonderful  meaning.  '  I  too  will 
wholly  cast  myself  on  Jesus  Christ  for  hfe  and  salvation,'  was  her 
last  refuge  ;  and  from  her  bed  she  lifted  up  her  heart  to  God  for 
pardon  and  mercy  through  the  blood  of  his  Son.    With  streaming 


HER   IMPORTANT    AGENCY.  19 

eyes  she  cast  herself  on  her  Saviour  :  '  Lord,  I  believe  ;  help  thou 
miue  unbelief.'  Immediately  the  scales  fell  from  her  eyes  ;  doubt 
and  distress  vanished  ;  joy  and  peace  filled  her  bosom.  With 
appropriating  faith,  she  exclaimed,  'My  Lord,  and  my  God  1'  From 
that  moment  her  disease  took  a  a  favorable  turn  ;  she  was  restored 
to  health,  and  what  was  better,  to  newness  of  life.  On  her  reco- 
very, she  sent  for  John  and  Charles  Wesley,  then  in  London,  and 
also  newly  converted  to  a  lively  faith,  to  come  and  visit  her,  express- 
ing a  warm  interest  in  their  labors,  and  bidding  them  God  speed  in 
the  great  and  glorious  work  of  urging  men  to  repentance  and  to 
heaven.  This  was  in  the  year  1739,  and  Lady  Huntingtoii  was  cit 
the  age  of  thirty-two."  The  character  of  her  life  thenceforward  is 
epitomized  in  the  following  energetic  passage  from  one  of  her  letters 
to  Doddridge. 

"  I  hope  you  will  never  care  about  the  ceremony  of  time  in 
your  letters  to  me,  but  just  when  attended  with  greatest  ease  to 
yourself,  for  we  both  agree  that  the  one  thing  worth  living  for  must 
be,  proclaiming  the  love  of  God  to  man  in  Christ  Jesus.  As  for 
me,  I  want  no  holiness  he  does  not  give  me  ;  I  can  wish  for  no 
liberty  but  what  he  likes  for  me,  and  I  am  satisfied  with  every 
misery  he  does  not  redeem  me  from,  that  in  all  things  I  may  feel, 
'  without  him  I  can  do  nothing.' " 

Lady  Huntington  appears  to  have  been  the  leading  lay  instru- 
mentality in  the  great  religious  movement  of  her  day.  She  devoted 
her  life  and  fortune  to  the  gospel,  with  the  zeal  and  singleness  of  an 
apostle.  Her  high  station,  adorned  by  a  consistency  and  fidelity 
which  never  quailed  before  the  scoff  or  the  malice  of  a  dissolute 
aristocracy,  became  incalculably  influential  in  promoting  the  spread 
of  truth.  Her  prayer-meetings  among  ladies  of  her  own  rank  ;  her 
fortitude  in  braving  their  scorn  by  personal  expostulation  ;  her 
mansion  thrown  open  for  a  preaching-station  to  the  despised 
"  Methodists  ;"  her  powerful  staff  of  chaplains,  with  some  of  whom, 
accompanied  by  her  family  and  friends,  she  made  repeated  and  ex- 
tended tours  of  evangelism  in  destitute  or  darkened  regions — usually 
taking  her  summer  recreation,  or  travelling  for  health,  in  this  way  ; 
in  her  widowhood,  her  retrenchment  of  the  expenses  deemed  indis- 
pensable to  the  dignity  of  her  station,  in  order  to  meet  the  demands 


20  THE 

of  an  insatiable  liberality  in  the  support  of  the  gospel  ;  the  numer- 
ous chapels  built,  and  preachers  supported  by  her  own  means,  in 
different  parts  of  the  country  ;  a  prosperous  college  established 
and  supported  for  the  training  of  godly  ministers  ;  her  prompt 
secession  from  the  Church  of  England,  when  forced  to  choose  be- 
tween this  painful  step  and  the  silencing  of  certain  of  her  chaplains, 
w^ho  then  preached  in  no  less  than  sixty-seven  chapels  of  "  Lady 
Huntington's  connection  ;"  these  and  many  other  works  of  which 
we  can  give  no  impression  here,  prolonged  to  the  very  end  of  nature 
in  her  eighty-fourth  year,  and  crowned  with  humble  renunciation  of 
herself  and  all  her  works,  are  among  the  deathless  traits  of  her 
ever-glorious  and  solitary  example. 

The  rising  work  of  grace  w^as  early  signalized  by  the  conver- 
sion of  desperate  reprobates  who  ^vere  seized  in  the  very  van  of  the 
audacious  ungodliness  of  the  day,  and  carried  over  in  triumph  by 
the  mighty  power  of  God,  to  a  stand  of  like  prominence  on  the 
side  of  holiness  and  the  gospel.  Of  such  was  the  celebrated  Colonel 
Gardiner,  whose  astonishing  conversion  and  reformation,  from  ten 
to  fifteen  years  before  the  date  of  those  just  recounted,  will  be 
found  in  another  part  of  this  volume.  Like  wonders  fitly  accompa- 
nied this  work  of  omnipotence  in  its  progress  through  an  age  chiefly 
distinguished  by  gross  impiety.  The  scoffing  AYalpole  wa^ote  truly, 
"  the  Methodists  love  your  great  sinners,  and  truly  they  make  an 
abundant  harvest."  The  regenerating  power  of  a  living  faith  in 
Christ,  wrought  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  appropriately  came  out  in  a 
glorious  prominence  in  such  an  age,  both  in  the  miracles  of  the 
Spirit  and  in  the  preaching  of  His  witnesses.  Whitefield  says 
of  his  preaching  :  "the  doctrine  of  the  new  birth  made  its  way  like 
lightning  into  the  hearers '  consciences."  This  doctrine  had  become 
very  generally  lost  to  the  Christian  consciousness  itself,  both  in  Old 
and  New^  England,  and  was  now  commonly  treated  by  the  religious 
classes  as  a  wild  and  dangerous  vagary  of  enthusiasm.  Even  in 
New  England,  it  was  scarcely  recognized  as  a  condition  of  church 
membership.  The  w^ork  of  the  time  was  therefore  to  give  it  a 
practical  demonstration,  and  a  root  in  the  heart  of  the  church, 
which  could  never  be  shaken. 

At  the  very  moment  when  these  mighty  instruments  of  the  Spirit 


TUE   WOEK   BEGUN    IN   NEW   ENGLAND.  21 

were  being  forged  in  the  fires  of  conviction  and  tempered  by  the  bap- 
tism of  the  Holy  Ghost,  in  England,  a  "surprising  work  of  God" 
was  witnessed  in  the  then  colony  of  Massachusetts,  under  the  leading 
instrumentality  of  President  Edwards.  "  The  Great  Awakening," 
as  it  has  been  commonly  designated,  doubtless  the  most  important 
event  in  American  history,  both  in  its  spiritual  and  temporal  conse- 
quences, first  appeared  in  power  at  Northampton,  about  1735.  Up- 
wards of  a  year  of  growing  seriousness,  heightened  by  a  succession 
of  solemn  events  in  the  little  community,  had  passed  ;  "  and  then  it 
was,"  continues  President  Edwards,  "  in  the  latter  part  of  December 
(1734),  that  the  Spirit  of  God  began  extraordinarily  to  set  in,  and 
wonderfully  to  work  among  us  ;  and  there  were,  very  suddenly,  one 
after  another,  five  or  six  persons  who  were,  to  all  appearance,  sav- 
ingly converted,  and  some  of  them  wrought  upon  in  a  very  remark- 
able manner. 

"  Presently  upon  this  a  great  and  earnest  concern  about  the 
great  things  of  religion  and  the  eternal  world  became  universal  in  all 
parts  of  the  town,  and  among  persons  of  all  degrees^and  all  ages  ;  the 
noise  among  the  dry  bones  waxed  louder  and  louder  ;  all  other  talk 
but  about  spiritual  and  eternal  things  u'as  soon  thrown  by  ;  all  the 
conversation  in  all  companies,  and  upon  all  occasions,  was  upon  these 
things  only,  unless  so  much  as  was  necessary  for  people  carrying  on 
their  ordinary  secular  business.  Other  discourse  than  of  the  things 
of  religion  would  scarcely  be  tolerated  in  any  company.  Religion 
was  with  all  classes  the  great  concern,  and  the  world  was  a  thing 
only  by  the  by.  The  only  thing  in  their  view  was  to  get  the  king- 
dom of  heaven,  and  every  one  appeared  pressing  into  it  :  the  en- 
gagedness  of  their  hearts  in  this  great  concern  could  not  be  hid  ;  it 
appeared  in  their  very  countenances.  There  was  scarcely  a  single 
person  in  the  town,  either  old  or  young,  that  was  left  unconcerned 
about  the  great  things  of  the  eternal  world.  Those  that  were  wont 
to  be  the  vainest  and  loosest,  and  those  that  had  been  most  disposed 
to  think  and  speak  slightly  of  vital  and  experimental  religion,  were 
now  generally  subject  to  great  awakenings.  And  the  work  of  con- 
version was  carried  on  in  a  most  astonishing  manner,  and  increased 
more  and  more  ;  souls  did,  as  it  were,  come  by  flocks  to  Jesus 
Christ. 


22  THE 

"  This  work  of  God,  as  it  was  carried  on,  and  the  number  of  true 
saints  multiplied,  soon  made  a  glorious  alteration  in  the  town  ;  so 
that  in  the  spring  and  summer  following,  anno  It 35,  the  town 
seemed  to  be  full  of  the  presence  of  God  :  it  never  was  so  full  of 
love,  nor  so  full  of  joy,  and  yet  so  fall  of  distress  as  it  was  then. 
There  were  remarkable  tokens  of  God's  presence  in  almost  every 
house  ;  parents  rejoicing  over  their  children  as  new  born,  and  hus- 
bands over  their  wives,  and  wives  over  their  husbands.  In  all  com- 
panies, on  whatever  occasions  persons  met  together,  Christ  was  to 
be  heard  of  and  seen  in  the  midst  of  them.  And  even  at  weddings, 
which  formerly  were  occasions  of  mirth  and  jollity,  there  was  now 
no  discourse  of  anything  but  the  things  of  religion,  and  no  appear- 
ance of  any  but  spiritual  mirth. 

"  So  far  as  I,  by  looking  back,  can  judge,  this  work  appears  to 
me  to  have  been  at  the  rate  at  least  of  four  persons  in  a  day,  or  near 
thirty  in  a  week,  take  one  with  another,  for  five  or  six  weeks  toge- 
ther. If  I  may  be  allowed  to  declare  anything  tliat  appears  to  me 
probable  in  a  tking  of  this  nature,  I  hope  that  more  than  three 
hundred  souls  were  savingly  brought  home  to  Christ  in  this  town,  in 
the  space  of  half  a  year  (how  many  more  I  don't  guess),  and  about 
the  same  number  of  males  as  females. 

"  In  the  month  of  March  the  people  in  South  Hadley  began  to  be 
seized  with  deep  concern  about  the  things  of  religion,  which  very 
Boon  became  universal  ;  and  the  work  of  God  has  been  very  wonder- 
ful there,  not  much,  if  anything,  short  of  what  it  has  been  here,  in 
proportion  to  the  size  of  the  place.  About  the  same  time  it  began 
to  break  forth  in  the  west  part  of  Suffield  (where  i*  has  also  been 
very  great),  and  it  soon  spread  into  all  parts  of  the  town.  It  next 
appeared  at  Sunderland,  and  soon  overspread  the  town  ;  and  I  be- 
lieve was  for  a  season  not  less  remarkable  than  it  was  here.  About 
the  same  time  it  began  to  appear  in  a  part  of  Deerfield,  called  Green 
River,  and  afterwards  filled  the  town,  and  there  has  been  a  glorious 
work  there  :  it  began  also  to  be  manifest  in  the  south  part  of  Hat- 
field, in  a  place  called  the  Hill,  and  after  that  the  whole  town,  in 
the  second  week  in  April,  seemed  to  be  seized,  as  it  were  at  once, 
with  concern  about  the  things  of  religion  ;  and  the  work  of  God  has 
been  great  there.     There  has  been  also  a  very  general  awakening  at 


WIIITEFIELD    EEGINS    rEEACIIlNG.  23 

AV^est  Springfield  and  Long  Meado\Y  ;  the  same  In  Enfield,  Spring- 
field, Wcstfield,  Hadley,  Nortlifield,  and  a  large  number  of  the 
towns  of  Connecticut. 

"  But  this  shower  of  Divine  blessing  has  been  yet  more  extensive  : 
there  was  no  small  degree  of  it  in  some  parts  of  New  Jersey;  especially 
the  Rev.  Mr.  AVilliam  Tennent,  a  minister,  who  seemed  to  have  such 
things  much  at  heart,  told  me  of  a  very  great  awakening  of  many  in 
a  place  called  the  Mountains,  under  the  ministry  of  one  Mr.  Cross  ; 
and  of  a  very  considerable  revival  of  religion  in  another  place,  under 
the  ministry  of  his  brother,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Gilbert  Tennent  ;  and  also 
at  another  place,  under  the  ministry  of  a  very  pious  young  gentle- 
man, a  Reformed  Dutch  minister,  whose  name  was  Frelinghuysen." 

We  have  already  seen  that  while  the  Awakening  was  breaking 
out  in  Northampton,  Whitefield  was  entering  on  his  w^onderful 
career  in  the  mother  country.  He  preached  his  first  sermon  in 
1736,  and  drove  fifteen  of  his  hearers  mad,  according  to  the  account 
reported  to  the  bishops,  by  the  scandalized  and  astonished  observ- 
ers. "  In  preaching  that  men  of  all  ages  and  conditions  must  be 
'  born  again '  or  never  '  see  the  kingdom  of  heaven,'  though  there 
were  some  in  the  land  who  beheved  it,  he  found  himself  practically 
alone,  going  forth  as  the  herald  of  a  doctrine  which  the  public 
agreed  to  consider  as  new."  Critics  of  a  later  day  have  discovered, 
to  their  astonishment,  that  the  sermons  which  then  turned  the  world 
upside  down,  were  composed  of  but  common  thoughts,  simply  ex- 
pressed, even  to  tameness.  But  it  has  been  well  retorted.  What 
has  made  those  thoughts  common  ?  They  were  not  common  when 
he  began  to  utter  them,  but  astonishing,  especially  in  England,  and 
to  a  considerable  extent  in  this  country  also.  The  effect  which  God 
wrought  by  them,  through  the  consecrated  genius  of  this  wonderful 
orator,  was  certainly  tremendous,  both  immediately  and  remotely. 
Whitefield  was  an  organ  for  the  truth,  expressly  fitted  to  this  day 
and  to  his  own  country,  where  his  great  work  was  performed.  The 
means  and  circumstances  of  the  revival  differed  noticeably  and  not 
unaccountably,  in  the  old  country,  with  its  dissolute  Establishment, 
its  gay  and  voluptuous  aristocracy,  and  its  ignorant  common  people, 
from  those  of  the  same  work  among  the  sober,  educated,  and  self- 
jroverniug    people    of   New    England.     For    the    former,    popular 


24  WONDEEFUL   EEYECTS. 

eloquence  seemed  au  indispensable  mea,ns  of  grace,  wliicli  in  the  lat- 
ter have  been  much  less  in  request,  and  have  been  attended  with 
much  less  beneficial  results.  The  same  difference  is  observable  in  a 
remarkable  instance  at  the  present  day. 

Whitefield's  first  sermon  was  preached  in  his  native  parish  at 
Gloucester,  in  his  twenty-second  year.  He  then  went  to  London, 
where  the  success  of  the  ''boy  preacher,"  as  he  was  called,  was 
instantaneous,  and  unprecedented  among  persons  of  all  ranks.  In 
many  of  the  city  churches  he  proclaimed  the  glad  tidings  of  great 
joy  to  multitudes,  who  were  powerfully  affected.  Lord  and  Lady 
Huntington  constantly  attended  wherever  he  preached,  and  Lady 
Anne  Frankland  became  one  of  the  first  fruits  of  his  ministry, 
among  the  nobility  of  the  metropolis.  While  at  London,  such 
multitudes  assembled  that  it  was  necessary  to  place  constables  at 
the  doors,  both  within  and  without,  and.  on  Sunday  mornings  in  the 
latter  months  of  the  year,  long  before  day,  you  might  have  seen  the 
streets  filled  with  people  going  to  hear  him,  with  lanterns  in  their 
hands. 

Leaving  London  in  about  two  months,  he  went  down  to  labor 
for  a  friend,  among  a  poor  and  illiterate  peojDle  in  Hampshire,  where 
he  was  reached  by  a  missionary  call  from  the  Wesleys,  in  Georgia, 
which  he  enthusiastically  accepted.  AVhile  preparing  for  his  depar- 
ture, and  taking  leave  of  his  friends  in  Bristol,  Bath,  and  other 
places,  he  continued  to  preach  with  increasing  power  and  fame. 

In  Bristol,  where  he  preached  five  times  a  week,  "  It  was  wonder- 
ful," he  says,  "  to  see  how  the  people  hung  upon  the  rails  of  the 
organ  loft,  climbed  upon  the  leads  of  the  church,  and  made  the 
church  itself  so  hot  with  their  breath,  that  the  steam  would  fall 
from  the  pillars  like  drops  of  rain.  Sometimes  almost  as  many 
would  go  away  for  want  of  room  as  came  in,  and  it  was  with  great 
difficulty  I  got  into  the  desk  to  read  prayers  or  preach.  Persons  of 
all  ranks  gave  me  private  invitations  to  their  houses,  and  many 
made  me  large  offers  if  I  would  not  go  abroad."  When  he  came  to 
London,  those  who  had  heard  him  before  compelled  him  to  preach 
almost  incessantly.  He  preached  nine  times  a  week,  and  thousands 
went  away  from  the  largest  churches,  unable  to  gain  admittance. 

Whitefield  had  undoubtedly  a  dramatic  genius  of  the  most  exfraor- 


CHARACTER    OF    HIS    GENIUS.  25 

dinary  power^  but  disclosed  and  called  into  play  by  nothing  less  than 
the  glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed  God.  "  He  had  a  voice  of  rich 
compass,  which  could  equally  thrill  over  Moorfields  in  musical  thun- 
der, or  whisper  its  secret  in  every  private  ear  ;  and  to  this  tuneful 
voice  he  added  a  most  expressive  and  eloquent  action.  Improved 
by  conscientious  practice,  and  instinct  with  his  earnest  nature,  this 
elocution  was  the  acted  sermon,  and  by  its  pantomimic  portrait 
enabled  the  eye  to  anticipate  each  rapid  utterance,  and  helped  the 
memory  to  treasure  up  the  palpable  ideas.  .  .  .  His  thoughts 
were  possessions,  and  his  feelings  were  transformations  ;  and  if  he 
spoke  because  he  felt,  his  hearers  understood  because  they  saw. 
They  wxre  not  only  enthusiastic  amateurs,  like  Garrick,  who  ran  to 
weep  and  tremble  at  his  bursts  of  passion,  but  even  the  colder 
critics  of  the  Walpole  school  were  surprised  into  momentary  sympa- 
thy and  reluctant  wonder.  Lord  Chesterfield  was  listening  in  Lady 
Huntingdon's  pew  when  Whitefield  was  comparing  the  benighted 
sinner  to  a  blind  beggar  on  a  dangerous  road.  The  beggar's  little 
dog  gets  away  from  him  when  skirting  the  edge  of  a  precipice,  and 
he  is  left  to  explore  the  path  with  his  iron-shod  staff.  On  the  very 
verge  of  the  cliff  this  blind  guide  (the  staff)  slips  through  his  fingen 
and  skims  away  down  the  abyss.  All  unconscious,  its  owner  stoops 
down  to  regain  it,  and  stumbling  forward — '  Good  Good  I  he  is 
gone  I'  shouted  Chesterfield,  who  had  been  watching  with  breath- 
less alarm  the  blind  man's  movements,  and  who  jumped  from  his 
seat  to  save  the  catastrophe.  But  the  glory  of  Whitefield's  preach- 
ing was  its  heart-kindled  and  heart-melting  gospel.  But  for  this 
all  his  bold  strokes  and  brilliant  surprises  might  have  been  no  better 
than  the  rhetorical  triumphs  of  Kirwan  and  other  pulpit  dramatists. 
He  was  an  orator,  but  he  only  sought  to  be  an  evangelist."  Hear 
him  entreat  : 


'^  I  beseech  you,  in  love  and  compassion,  to  come  to  Jesus.  Indeed, 
all  I  saj  is  in  love  to  your  souls.  And  if  I  could"  be  but  an  instrument 
of  bringing  you  to  Jesus,  I  should  not  envy,  but  rejoice  in  your  happi- 
ness, however  much  you  were  exalted.  If  I  was  to  make  up  the  last  of 
the  train  of  the  companions  of  the  blessed  Jesus,  it  would  rejoice  me  to 
see  you  above  me  in  glory.  I  could  willingly  go  to  prison  or  to  death 
for  you,  so  I  could  but  bring  one  soul  from  the  devil's  strongholds,  into 
the  salvation  which  is  by  Christ  Jesus.     Come  then  to  Christ,  every  one 

2 


26  DKIYEN   TO   THE   FIELDS. 

that  hears  me  this  night.  Come,  come,  my  guiltj  brethren  ;  I  beseech 
you,  for  your  immortal  soul's  sake,  come  to  Christ.  Methinks  I  could 
speak  till  midnight  unto  you.  Would  you  have  me  go  and  tell  my  Mas- 
ter that  you  will  not  come,  and  that  I  have  spent  my  strength  in  vain  ? 
I  cannot  bear  to  carry  such  a  message  to  him.  I  would  not,  indeed,  I 
would  not  be  a  swift  witness  against  you  at  the  great  day  of  account ; 
but  if  you  will  refuse  these  gracious  invitations,  I  must  do  it." 

lu  this  spirit,  not  very  prevalent  even  now,  Whitefield  began  his 
ministry.  On  his  return  from  Georgia,  It 39,  "  the  clergy  had 
begun  to  perceive  that  either  his  doctrine  or  theirs,  concerniag  the 
new  birth  and  the  way  of  a  sinner's  justification  before  God,  must 
fall.  The  bishops  received  him  coldly.  In  two  days,  the  use  of  five 
churches  was  denied  him.  Pamphlets  were  published  against  his 
sermon  on  regeneration,  and  sermons  were  preached  against  him,  his 
doctrines,  and  his  proceedings.  But  he  was  busy  in  attending 
prayer-meetings  and  preaching  in  the  few  churches  that  were  still 
open,  and  awakenings  and  conversions  multiplied.  At  Bristol  he 
had  the  use  of  the  churches  at  first,  but  in  a  short  time  all  were 
closed  against  him.  Already  at  London,  seeing  the  crowds  around 
the  doors  and  windows,  unable  to  hear,  he  had  thought  of  preaching 
to  them  in  the  open  air  ;  but  both  he  and  his  friends  hesitated  and 
prayed  before  taking  so  bold  a  step.  While  at  Bristol,  he  made  the 
attempt.  The  colliers  in  the  vicinity  were  numerous,  rude,  and 
ignorant.  When  provoked,  they  were  the  terror  of  the  city  ;  and 
at  all  times  it  was  thought  dangerous  to  go  among  them.  White- 
field  went  one  day  to  Hannam  Mount,  and  preached  to  about  a  hun- 
dred of  them.  The  news  spread  rapidly  among  the  colliers,  and  his 
audience  soon  increased  to  twenty  thousand.  The  gospel  was  indeed 
*  good  news '  to  them,  for  they  had  never  heard  preaching  before. 
Having  no  righteousness  of  their  own  to  renounce,  they  were  glad 
to  hear  of  a  Jesus  who  was  a  friend  to  publicans,  and  who  came  not 
to  call  the  righteous,  but  sinners,  to  repentance.  The  first  dis- 
covery of  their  being  affected  was,  to  see  the  white  gutters  made  by 
their  tears,  which  plentifully  fell  down  their  black  cheeks,  as  they 
came  out  of  their  coal-pits.  Hundreds  and  hundreds  of  them  were 
soon  brought  under  deep  convictions,  which,  as  the  event  proved, 
happily  ended  in  sound  and  thorough  conversion.  At  this  time 
he  made  two  excursions  into  Wales,  where  a  revival  of  religion  had 


THE  POOK  HA  YE  THE  GOSPEL  PREACHED  TO  THEM.    27 

commenced  several  years  before,  under  the  ministry  of  the  Rev. 
Griffitli  Jones,  and  was  now  carried  on  by  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Howel 
Harris,  a  man  of  strong  mental  powers,  great  Christian  zeal,  and 
considerable  learning. 

"  Intent  on  the  advancement  of  his  orphan-house  in  Georgia, 
Whitefield  soon  went  to  London,  passing  on  his  way  through  Oxford. 
At  both  places  he  found  opposition,  and  in  London  was  shut  out  of 
the  churches.  He  preached  to  thousands  in  Islington  churchyard, 
and  now  resolved  to  give  himself  to  the  work  in  the  open  air.  The 
spots  on  which  Whitefield  now  began,  in  his  own  language,  '  to  take 
the  field,'  and  publicly  to  erect  the  standard  of  the  Redeemer's  cross, 
are  well  kuown.  Moorfields,  then  a  place  of  general  rendezvous  and 
recreation  from  the  crowded  city,  Kennington  Common  then  about 
two,  and  Blackheath  about  fi^'e  miles  from  London,  were  the  favor- 
ite sites  to  which  he  loved  to  resort,  and  '  open  his  mouth  boldly'  to 
listening  thousands,  in  honor  of  his  crucified  and  glorified  Lord. 
Recording  his  first  engagement  of  this  kind  in  his  diary  of  Sabbath 
evening,  April  29,  1739,  he  writes,  *  Begun  to  be  yet  more  vile  this 
day,  for  I  preached  at  Moorfields  to  an  exceeding  great  multitude  ; 
and  at  five  in  the  evening  went  and  preached  at  Kennington  Com- 
mon, where  upwards  of  twenty  thousand  were  supposed  to  be  pre- 
sent.' For  several  successive  months  these  places  were  his  chief 
scenes  of  action.  At  a  moderate  computation,  the  audience  fre- 
quently consisted  of  twenty  thousand.  It  is  said  that  the  singing 
could  be  heard  two  miles,  and  the  voice  of  the  preacher  nearly 


"While  one  day  preaching  on  Blackheath,  there  passed  along  the  road 

it  some  distance,  an  old  man  and  '  Mary '  his  wife,  with  their  ass  and  his 

oaded  panniers,  returning  from  London  to  their  home  in  Kent.     At- 

racted  alike  by  the  crowd  and  the  preacher's  voice,  the  old  man  and  his 

vife  turned  a  little  out  of  their  way  to  hear  'what  the  man  was  talking 

bout.'     Whitefield  spoke  of  somewhat  which  occurred  eighteen  hundred 

ears  ago,  and  the  old  man  said,  'Mary,  come  along,  it  is  only  something 

■'hich  happened    a  long  while   ago;'    but   Mary's  attention  had  been 

rrested,  and  she  wished  to  stay  a  minute  or  two  longer.     They  were 

oth  soon  in  tears,  and  the  inquiry  was  excited  in  their  hearts,  '  What 

lall  we  do  to  be  saved?'     On  their  way  home,  the  old  man  recollected 

is  neglected  Bible,  and  asked,  '  Wliy,  Mary,  does  not  our  old  book  at 

mie  say  somewhat  about  these  things?'     They  went  home,  andexa- 

ined  the  old  book  with  new  light.     '  Why,  Mary,'  asked  the  old  man, 


28  GKEAT   NUJklBEKS    CONVERTED. 

'  is  thig  indeed  our  old  book  ?  why,  everything  in  it  seems  quite  new.' 
So  true  is  it,  that  the  teaching  of  the  Spirit  gives  new  discernment  as  to 
the  truths  of  divine  revelation.  " 

"A  fact  illustrating  the  children's  love  to  the  evangelist  may  be  here 
mentioned.  In  his  open-air  preachings,  especially  in  and  about  London, 
he  was  usually  attended  by  many  of  them,  who  sat  round  him,  in  and 
about  the  pulpit,  and  handed  to  him  the  notes  of  those  who  desired  his 
counsels  and  prayers.  These  children  were  exposed  to  tlie  missiles  with 
which  he  was  often  assailed,  but  however  terrified  they  might  be,  or  even 
hurt,  they  seldom  shrunk;  'but,'  says  he,  'on  the  contrary,  every  time 
1  was  struck,  they  turned  up  their  little  weeping  eyes,  and  seemed  to 
wish  they  could  receive  the  blows  for  me.'  " 

At  his  first  preaching  in  Moorfields,  Gillies  says  : 

"The  thing  being  strange  and  new,  he  found,  on  coming  out  of  the 
coach,  an  incredible  number  of  people  assembled.  Many  told  him  that 
he  would  never  come  out  of  that  place  alive.  He  went  in,  however, 
between  two  friends,  who  by  the  pressure  of  the<3rowd  were  soon  parted 
from  him  entirely,  and  obliged  to  leave  him  to  the  mercy  of  the  rabble. 
But  these,  instead  of  hurting  him,  formed  a  lane  for  him,  and  carried  him 
along  to  the  middle  of  the  fields,  where  a  table  had  been  placed.  This, 
however,  having  been  broken  by  the  crowd,  he  mounted  a  wall,  and 
preached  to  an  exceeding  great  multitude  in  tones  so  melting,  that  his 
words  drew  tears  and  groans  from  the  most  abandoned  of  his  hearers. 
Thirty  thousand  people  sometimes  gathered  together  to  hear  him." 

A  cheaply  constructed  tabernacle  was  eventually  run  up  for  him 
in  Moorfields,  and  of  the  close  of  one  day's  preaching  he  records  : 

"We  then  retired  to  the  Tabernacle,  with  my  pockets  full  of  notes 
from  persons  brought  under  concern,  and  read  them  amidst  the  praises 
and  spiritual  acclamations  of  thousands,  who  joined  with  the  holy  angels 
in  rejoicing  that  so  many  sinners  were  snatched,  in  such  an  unexpected, 
unlikely  place  and  manner,  out  of  the  very  jaws  of  the  devil.  Three 
Tiundrecl  and  fifty  aioakened  souls  were  received  in  ojie  day  ;  and  I  be- 
lieve the  number  of  notes  exceeded  a  thousand." 

Scarcely  had  Whitefield  completed  the  tabernacle,  when  he  was 
earnestly  solicited  to  hold  public  services  at  the  west  end  of  the  city,  and 
Long- Acre  chapel,  then  under  the  charge  of  a  dissenter,  was  offered  for 
his  use. 

"An  unruly  rabble  there  endeavored  to  drive  the  preacher  from  his 
post ;  but  a  running  fire  of  brickbats,  broken  glass,  bells,  drums,  and 
clappers,  neither  annoyed  nor  frightened  the  intrepid  evangelist ;  nor  did 
an  interference  on  the  part  of  the  hierarchy,  which  followed  soon  after, 
prohibiting  his  preaching  in  an  incorporated  (dissenting)  chapel.  '  I 
hope  you  will  not  look  on  it  as  contumacy,'  said  Whitefield  to  the  bishop, 


METHODISTICAL   IIADNESS.  29 

'if  I  persist  in  prosecuting  my  design  until  I  am  more  particularly  ap- 
prised wherein  I  have  erred.  I  trust  the  irregularity  I  am  charged  with 
will  appear  justifiable  to  every  lover  of  English  liberty,  and,  what  is  all 
to  me,  be  approved  at  the  awful  and  impartial  tribunal  of  the  great 
Bishop  and  Shepherd  of  souls.'  Writing  to  Lady  Huntingdon,  he  says, 
'My  greatest  distress  is  so  to  act  as  to  avoid  rashness  on  the  one  hand 
and  timidity  on  the  other ;'  and  this  shows,  what  indeed  was  proved  in 
his  whole  life,  an  entire  absence  of  that  malignant  element  of  fanaticism 
which  courts  opposition  and  revels  in  it." 

"  Determined  not  to  be  beaten  from  his  ground,  yet  hoping  to 
escape  some  of  its  annoyances,  Whitefield  resolved  to  build  a  chapel 
of  his  own.  Hence  arose  Tottenham  Court-road  chapel,  which  went 
by  the  name  of  '  Whitefield's  Soul-trap.'  '  I  pray,'  said  he,  '  the 
Friend  of  sinners  to  make  it  a  soul-trap  indeed  to  many  wandering 
creatures.  My  constant  work  is  preaching  fifteen  times  a  week. 
Conviction  and  conversion  go  on  here,  for  God  hath  met  us  in  our 
new  building.'  It  was  completed  and  dedicated  in  November,  1756, 
and  within  two  years  of  its  opening,  not  only  did  the  congregation 
build  a  parsonage-house  for  their  minister,  b"ut  twelve  almshouses  for 
as  many  poor  widows." 

"About  this  time  Joseph  Periam,  a  young  man  in  London,  who  had 
read  his  sermon  on  'regeneration,'  became  deeply  impressed  by  it ;  he 
sold  all  he  possessed,  and  prayed  so  loud  and  fasted  so  long,  that  his  fa- 
mily supposed  him  deranged,  and  sent  him  to  the  Bedlam  madhouse,  where 
he  was  treated  as  ' methodistically  mad,'  and  as  'one  of  Whitefield's 
gang.'  The  keepers  threw  him  down,  and  forced  a  key  into  his  mouth, 
while  they  drenched  him  with  medicine.  He  was  then  placed  in  a  cold 
room  without  windows,  and  with  a  damp  cellar  under  it.  Periam,  how- 
ever, found  some  means  of  conveying  a  letter  to  Whitefield,  requesting 
both  advice  and  a  visit.  These  were  promptly  given.  The  preacher 
soon  discovered  that  Periam  was  not  mad  ;  and  taking  a  Mr.  Seward 
and  some  other  friends  with  him,  he  went  before  the  committee  of  the 
hospital  to  explain  the  case.  Seward  so  astounded  the  committee  by 
quoting  Scripture,  that  they  pronounced  liim  to  be  as  mad  as  Peri- 
am. The  doctors  frankly  told  the  deputation  that,  in  their  opinion, 
Whitefield  and  his  followers  were  '  really  beside  themselves.'  It  was, 
however,  agreed,  that  if  Whitefield  would  take  Periam  out  to  Georgia, 
his  release  would  be  granted.  Thus  the  conference  ended,  and  the  young 
man  went  out  as  a  schoolmaster  at  the  Orphan-house,  where  he  was  ex- 
emplary and  useful." 

The  dignitaries  of  the  Church  (to  return)  now  took  the  field 
against  him.     The  Bishop  of  Loudon   published  a  pastoral  letter 


30  EETURN   TO   AMERICA. 

aimed  against  "  enthusiasm,"  by  which  was  intended  the  doctrines  of 
regeneration,  and  justification  by  faith,  without  the  works  of  the 
law  or  the  Church  either  as  a  ground  or  a  condition  precedent  ; 
which  Whitefield  defended  in  a  reply. 

"  The  ideas  of  "Whitefield  and  his  opponents  were  now  fairly  drawn  out 
and  embattled  against  each  other,  and  it  was  to  be  decided,  whether  a 
truly  spiritual  religion  should  be  allowed  to  subsist  in  the  Church  of 
England.  On  these  vital  points  of  doctrinal  and  practical  religion, 
Whitefield  found  sympathy  among  the  Dissenters.  He  had  some  pleas- 
ing interviews  with  Watts,  Doddridge,  and  other  leading  Congregation- 
alists  ;  but,  as  he  preferred  to  labor  in  the  Church  to  which  he  belonged, 
and  us  they  were  afraid  that  his  enthusiasm  and  irregularities  would 
work  mischief  in  the  end,  there  was  no  public  cooperation  between 
them.  Watts  cautioned  him  against  giving  heed  to  'impressions,'  sup- 
posed, but  not  proved,  to  be  from  the  Holy  Spirit ;  warned  him  of  the 
danger  of  delusion  and  imprudence,  and  gave  him  credit  for  sincerity 
and  zeal,  but  doubted  his  '  extraordinary  call  to  some  parts  of  his  con- 
duct.' Doddridge  called  him  a  very  honest  man,  but  weak,  and  '  a  little 
intoxicated  with  popularity.'  [At  a  later  day  however,  these  excellent 
men  obtained  very  difierent  impressions,  and  became  warm  friends  of 
the  revivalist  and  the  revival.]  Whitefield  in  these  controversies  and 
labors,  was  executing  no  plan  of  his  own,  but  simply  doing  the  duty 
which  the  circumstances  of  each  day  demanded.  He  liad  come  to  Eng- 
land, to  receive  priest's  orders,  and  collect  money  for  his  orphan-house. 
An  embargo,  caused  by  the  commencement  of  a  war  with  Spain,  unex- 
pectedly detained  him,  and  he  was  neiLher  willing  nor  permitted  to  be 
idle.  He  preached  to  a  few  hearers  in  a  private  room,  or  to  thirty 
thousand  on  Kennington  Common  :  attended  a  little  prayer-meeting, 
gave  advice  to  an  anxious  sinner,  heard  good  advice  from  Watts  and 
Doddridge,  or  engaged  in  controversy  with  the  Bishop  of  London,  just 
as  one  occasion  after  another  called  him  to  do.  And  now,  the  embargo 
being  raised,  and  the  care  of  the  colliers  and  some  other  affairs  being 
transferred  to  Wesley,  whom  he  had  induced  to  commence  field-preach- 
ing, this  pastor  of  a  little  parish  in  Georgia  embarked,  August  14, 
1739,  for  Philadelphia,  on  his  return  to  the  people  of  his  charge." 

Nearly  simultaneous  with  the  conversion  of  the  Wesleys,  occurred 
that  of  David  Brainerd — an  event  of  recognized  importance,  parti- 
cularly in  its  relation  to  the  missionary  movement  which  was  to 
become  such  a  leading  and  vital  element  of  the  religious  activity  of 
the  period  now  inaugurated,  and  which  already  manifested  itself 
with  singular  energy  in  the  earliest  impulses  of  the  young  Oxford 
apostles.  The  Indians  were  then  the  prominent  objects  of  the  mis- 
sionary spirit,  which,  descending  to  a  later  generation,  has  expanded, 
in  less  than  a  century,  to  the  compass  of  the  globe.     The  experi- 


COirVERSION    OF   DAYID    BRAINEED.  31 

ence  of  David  Brainerd  is  a  beautiful  parallel  to  that  of  President 
Edwards  (inserted  in  another  place),  as  will  be  seen  from  the  fol- 
lowing narrative,  and  might  be  still  more  noticeably  illustrated  if  we 
had  room  for  a  more  extended  quotation  : 


'^  After  a  considerable  time  spent  in  similar  exercises  and  distress,  one 
morning,  while  I  was  walking  In  a  solitary  place,  as  usual,  I  at  once  saw- 
that  all  my  contrivances  and  projects  to  effect  or  procure  deliverance 
and  salvation  for  myself  were  utterly  in  vain  ;  I  was  brought  quite  to  a 
stand,  as  finding  myself  totally  lost.  I  had  thought  many  times  before, 
that  the  difficulties  in  my  w^ay  were  very  great ;  but  now  I  saw,  in 
another  and  very  different  light,  that  it  was  forever  impossible  for  me  to 
do  anything  toward  helping  or  delivering  myself.  I  then  thought  of 
blaming  myself,  that  I  had  not  done  more,  and  been  more  engaged  while 
I  had  opportunity — for  it  seemed  now  as  if  the  season  for  doing  was  for 
ever  over  and  gone — but  I  instantly  saw,  that  let  me  have  done  what  I 
woald,  it  would  no  more  have  tended  to  my  helping  myself,  than  what  I 
had  done  ;  that  I  had  made  all  the  pleas  I  ever  could  have  made  to  all 
eternity  ;  and  that  all  my  pleas  were  vain.  The  tumult  that  had  been 
before  in  my  mind  was  now  quieted,  and  I  was  somewhat  eased  ot  that 
distress  which  I  felt  while  struggling  against  a  sight  of  myself,  and  of 
the  divine  sovereignty.  I  had  the  greatest  cej'tainty  that  my  state  was 
forever  miserable,  for  all  that  I  could  do,  and  wondered  that  I  had  never 
been  sensible  of  it  before. 

"  I  continued,  as  I  remember,  in  this  state  of  mind  from  Friday  morn- 
ing till  the  Sabbath  evening  following  (July  12,  1739),  when  I  was  walk- 
ing again  in  the  same  solitary  place  where  I  was  brought  to  see  myself 
lost  and  helpless,  as  before  mentioned.  Here,  in  a  mournful,  melancholy 
state,  I  was  attempting  to  pray  ;  but  found  no  heart  to  engage  in  prayer 
or  any  other  duty.  My  former  concern,  exercise,  and  religious  affec- 
tions were  now  gone.  I  thought  that  the  Spirit  of  God  had  quite  left 
me ;  but  still  was  not  distressed,  yet  disconsolate,  as  if  there  was  nothing 
in  heaven  or  earth  could  make  me  happy.  Having  been  thus  endeavor- 
ing to  pray — though,  as  I  thought,  very  stupid  and  senseless— for  neai* 
half  an  hour  ;  then,  as  I  was  walking  in  a  dark,  thick  grove,  unspealcahle 
glory  seemed  to  open  to  the  view  and  apprehension  of  my  soul.  I  do 
not  mean  any  external  brightness,  for  I  saw  no  such  thing ;  nor  do  I 
intend  any  imagination  of  a  body  of  light,  somewhere  in  the  third  hea- 
vens, or  anything  of  that  nature ;  but  it  was  a  new  inward  apprehension 
or  view  that  I  had  of  God,  such  as  I  never  had  before,  nor  anything 
which  had  the  least  resemblance  of  it.  I  stood  still,  wondered,  and 
admired  !  I  knew  that  I  never  had  seen  before  anything  comparable  to 
it  for  excellency  and  beauty ;  it  was  widely  different  from  all  the  con- 
ceptions that  ever  I  had  of  God,  or  things  divine.  My  soul  rejoiced  with 
joy  unspeakable,  to  see  such  a  God,  such  a  glorious  divine  Being;  and  I 
was  inwardly  pleased  and  satisfied,  that  he  should  be  God  over  all  for 
ever  and  ever.  My  soul  was  so  captivated  and  delighted  with  the  ex- 
cellency, loveliness,  greatness,  and  other  perfections  of  God,  that  I  was 
even  swallowed  up  in  him  ;  at  least  to  that  degree  that  I  had  no  thought 


32  HIS   MISSION   TO   THE   INDIANS. 

as  I  remember,  at  first,  about  my  own  salvation,  and  scarce  reflected, 
that  there  was  such  a  creature  as  myself. 

"  Thus  God,  I  trust,  brought  me  to  a  hearty  disposition  to  exalt  liim^ 
and  set  him  on  the  throne,  and  principally  and  ultimately  to  aim  at  his 
honor  and  glory,  as  King  of  the  universe.  I  continued  in  this  state  of 
inward  joy,  peace  and  astonishment,  till  near  dark,  without  any  sensible 
abatement,  and  then  began  to  think  and  examine  what  I  had  seen,  and 
felt  sweetly  composed  in  my  mind  all  the  evening  following.  I  felt  my- 
self in  a  new  world,  and  everything  about  me  appeared  with  a  different 
aspect  from  what  it  was  wont  to  do. 

"  At  this  time  the  way  of  salvation  opened  to  me  with  such  infinite 
wisdom,  suitableness,  and  excellency,  that  I  wondered  I  should  ever 
think  of  any  other  way  of  salvation ;  I  was  amazed  that  I  had  not 
dropped  my  own  contrivances,  and  complied  with  this  lovely,  blessed, 
and  excellent  way  before.  If  I  could  have  been  saved  by  my  own 
duties,  or  any  otlier  way  that  I  had  formerly  contrived,  my  whole  soul 
would  now  have  refused.  I  wondered  that  all  the  world  did  not  see 
and  comply  with  this  way  of  salvation,  entirely  by  the  righteousness  of 
Christy 

Three  or  four  years  later,  we  find  Brainerd  engaged  in  his 
heavenly  mission  of  mercy  to  the  poor  heathen  of  the  forest  in  New 
Jersey.  On  his  removal  to  Crossweeksung,  in  New  Jersey  (1145), 
his  labors  were  visited  with  an  outpouring  of  grace  so  marvellously 
divine  as  justly  to  be  included  among  the  great  manifestations  of 
the  time  we  are  now  dwelling  on.  His  preaching  appears,  especially 
at  this  time,  to  have  been  much  imbued  with  the  tender  and  winning 
elements  of  the  gospel.  His  text,  on  the  6th  of  August,  1745, 
preaching  to  about  forty  Indians  who  could  understand  him,  was, 
"  Herein  is  love." 

"  They  seemed  eager  of  hearing ;  but  there  appeared  nothing  very 
remarkable,  except  their  attention,  till  near  the  close  of  my  discourse ; 
and  then  Divine  truth  was  attended  with  a  surprising  influence,  and 
produced  a  great  concern  among  them.  There  were  scarcely  three  in 
forty  who  could  refrain  from  tears  and  bitter  cries.  They  all  as  one 
seemed  in  an  agony  of  soul  to  obtain  an  interest  in  Christ ;  and  the  more 
I  discoursed  of  the  love  and  compassion  of  God  in  sending  His  Son  to 
snuffer  for  the  sins  of  men ;  and  the  more  I  invited  tliem  to  come  and 
])artake  of  his  love,  the  more  their  distress  was  aggravated,  because  they 
felt  themselves  unable  to  come.  It  was  surprising  to  see  how  their 
hearts  seemed  to  be  pierced  with  the  tender  and  melting  invitations  of 
the  gospel,  when  there  was  not  a  word  of  terror  spoken  to  them. 

"  There  were  this  day  two  persons  who  obtained  relief  and  comfort ; 
which,  when  I  came  to  discourse  with  them  particularly,  appeared  solid, 
rational,  and  scriptural.  After  I  had  inquired  into  the  grounds  of  their 
comfort,  and  said  many  things  which  I  thought  proper  to  them,  I  asked 


them  what  they  wanted  that  God  should  do  fartlier  for  them.     Thej* 
replied,  '  they  wanted  Christ  should  wipe  their  hearts  quite  clean,'  etc. 

''Aug.  8.  There  were  now  six  in  all,  who  had  got  some  relief  from 
their  spiritual  distresses ;  and  five  whose  experience  appeared  very  clear 
and  satisfactory.  There  was  much  yisible  concern  among  them  while  I 
was  discoursing  publicly  ;  but  afterward,  when  I  spoke  to  one  and 
another  more  particularly,  whom  I  perceived  under  much  concern,  the 
power  of  God  seemed  to  descend  upon  the  assembly  '  U^:e  a  mighty 
rushing  wind^''  and  with  an  astonishing  energy  bore  down  all  before  it. 
I  stood  amazed  at  tlie  iniiuence  which  seized  the  audience  almost  uni- 
versally ;  and  could  compare  it  to  nothing  more  aptly  than  the  irresisti- 
ble force  of  a  mighty  torrent,  or  swellmg  deluge,  that  with  its  insup- 
portable weight  and  pressure  bears  down  and  sweeps  before  it  whatever 
is  in  its  way.  Almost  all  persons  of  all  ages  were  bowed  down  with 
concern  together,  and  scarcely  one  was  able  to  withstand  the  shock  of 
this  surprising  operation.  Old  men  and  women  who  had  been  drunken 
wretches  for  many  years,  and  some  little  children  not  more  than  six  or 
seven  years  of  age,  appeared  in  distress  for  their  souls,  as  well  as  persons 
of  middle  age.  It  was  apparent  that  these  children,  some  of  them  at 
least,  were  not  merely  frightened  with  seeing  the  general  concern,  but 
were  made  sensible  of  their  danger,  the  badness  of  their  hearts,  and  their 
misery  without  Christ,  as  some  of  them  expressed  it.  The  most  stub- 
born hearts  were  now  obliged  to  bow.  They  were  almost  universally 
praying  and  crying  for  mercy  in  every  part  of  the  house,  and  many  out 
of  doors  ;  and  numbers  could  neither  go  nor  stand.  Their  concern  was 
so  great,  each  one  for  himself,  that  none  seemed  to  take  any  notice  of 
those  about  them,  but  each  prayed  freely  for  himself.  Those  who  had 
lately  obtained  relief,  were  tilled  with  comfort  at  this  season.  They 
appeared  calm  and  composed,  and  seemed  to  rejoice  in  Christ  Jesus. 
Some  of  them  took  their  distressed  friends  by  the  hand,  telling  them  of 
the  goodness  of  Christ,  and  the  comfort  that  is  to  be  enjoyed  in  him  ; 
and  thence  invited  them  to  come  and  give  up  their  hearts  to  him.  I 
could  observe  some  of  them,  in  the  most  honest  and  unaffected  manner, 
without  any  design  of  being  taken  notice  of,  lifting  up  their  eyes  to 
heaven,  as  if  crying  for  mercy,  while  they  saw  the  distress  of  the  poor 
souls  around  them.  There  was  one  remarkable  instance  of  awakening 
this  day  which  I  cannot  fail  to  notice  here.  A  young  Indian  woman, 
■w^ho,  I  believe,  never  knew  before  that  she  had  a  soul,  nor  ever  thought 
of  any  such  thing,  hearing  that  there  was  something  strange  among  the 
Indians,  came,  it  seems,  to  see  what  was  the  matter.  In  her  way  to 
the  Indians  she  called  at  my  lodgings,  and  when  I  told  her  that  I 
designed  presently  to  preach  to  the  Indians,  laughed,  and  seemed  to 
mock ;  but  went,  however,  to  them.  I  had  not  proceeded  far  in  my 
public  discourse  before  she  felt  effectually  that  she  had  a  soul;  and 
before  I  had  concluded  my  discourse,  was  so  convinced  of  her  sin  and 
misery,  and  so  distressed  with  concern  for  her  souFs  salvation,  that  she 
seemed  like  one  pierced  through  with  a  dart,  and  cried  out  incessantly. 
She  could  neither  go  nor  stand,  nor  sit  on  her  seat  without  being  held  up. 
After  public  service  was  over  she  lay  flat  on  the  ground,  praying  ear- 
nestly, and  would  take  no  notice  of,  nor  give  any  answer  to,  any  who 
spoke  to  her.     I  hearkened  to  what  she  said,  and  perceived  the  burden 


34  AN   INDIAN    GIKl's   EXPERIENCE. 

of  her  prayer  to  be,  '  Have  mercy  on  me,  and  help  me  to  give  you  my 
heart.''  Thus  she  continued  praying  incessantly,  for  many  hours  to- 
gether." 

This  extraordinary  influence  continued  for  many  months  of  constant 
seriousness  and  tenderness,  with  repetitions  at  intervals,  of  the 
mighty  operations  of  the  Spirit  above  described,  and  frequent  in- 
stances of  blissful  conversion,  and  wonderful  reformation  on  the 
part  of  persons  before  given  to  the  worst  of  crimes.  Indeed  the 
Divine  presence  seems  never  after  to  have  left  the  people  among 
whom  he  labored,  until  his  final  sickness  removed  the  youthful  apos- 
tle from  them,  in  his  twenty-ninth  year.  In  the  course  of  eleven 
months,  about  forty  of  this  small  congregation  were  brought 
into  the  church  of  Christ,  on  as  unequivocal  evidence  of  regeneration, 
perhaps,  as  it  is  possible  for  human  judgment  to  obtain.  We  quote 
only  one  example,  indicating  what  seems  to  have  been  the  usual 
type  of  experience  among  these  converts  : 

"  She  now  appeared  in  a  heavenly  frame  of  mind,  composed  and  de- 
lighted with  the  divine  will.  AVhen  I  came  to  discourse  particularly  with 
her,  and  to  inquire  of  her  how  she  obtained  relief  and  deliverance  from 
the  spiritual  distresses  which  she  had  lately  suffered,  she  answered,  in 
broken  English,  '  Me  try,  me  try  save  myself ;  last,  my  strength  he  all 
gone  (meaning  her  ability  to  save  herself)  ;  could  not  me  stir  hit  fur- 
ther. Den  last  me  forced  let  Jesus  Christ  alone  send  me  hell,  if  he 
please.''  I  said,  '  But  you  was  not  willing  to  go  to  hell,  was  you  V  She 
replied,  '  Could  not  me  help  it.  My  heart,  he  would  wiclced  for  all. 
Could  not  me  malce  him  good  '  (meaning,  she  saAV  it  was  right  she  should 
go  to  hell,  because  her  heart  was  wicked,  and  would  be  so  after  all 
she  could  do  to  mend  it).  I  asked  her  how  she  got  out  of  this  case. 
She  answered  still  in  the  same  broken  language,  '  By  hy,  my  heart  he 
glad  desperately.^  I  asked  her  why  her  heart  was  glad.  She  replied, 
'  Glad  my  heart,  Jesus  Christ  do  what  he  please  with  me.  Did  not  me 
care  where  he  put  me  ;  love  him  for  all,''  etc.  She  could  not  readily  be 
convinced  but  that  she  was  willing  to  go  to  hell  if  Christ  was  pleased  to 
send  her  there  ;  although  the  truth  evidently  was,  that  her  will  was  so 
swallowed  up  with  the  divine  will  that  she  could  not  frame  any  hell  in 
her  imagination  which  would  be  dreadful  or  undesirable,  provided  it  was 
the  will  of  God  to  send  her  to  it." 

The  rekindling  of  the  missionary  spirit  in  this  great  awakening- 
was  not  observable  only  in  the  Oxford  "Methodists,"  and  Braiuerd. 
Results  of  similar  character  to  those  that  attended  his  brief  career, 
were  enjoyed  at  other  Mission  stations  at  the  same  period.  Among 
the  Indians  on  Long  Island,  thirty-five  adults  and  forty-four  children 


Whitfield's  success  in  riiiLADELniiA.  35 

were  baptized  by  Mr.  Horton,  in  two  years  from  his  arrival  in 
1141,  SooQ  after,  there  were  numerous  conversions  among  the 
Indians  near  Stonington  ;  and  a  visit  from  these  Christian  Indians, 
was  the  means  of  awaking  those  in  Westerly,  Rhode  Island,  where 
over  sixty  were  admitted  to  the  Church,  about  1H4,  and  heathen- 
ism appears  to  have  been  completely  extinguished.  Brainerd's 
career  was  scarcely  begun  ere  it  was  ended,  but  he  being  dead  yet 
speaketh — one  of  the  first  and  master  spirits  of  modern  Missions. 
Simultaneously  with  these  efforts  and  Divine  manifestations  among 
the  North  American  heathen,  in  October  1*144,  leading  revival- 
ists in  Scotland,  seconded  by  Edwards  and  others  in  America,  were 
prompted  first  to  suggest  the  Monthly  Concert  of  prayer  for  the 
conversion  of  the  world  ;  now  attached,  a  blessed  institution,  to  the 
churches  of  Christ  almost  universally. 


Whitefield  arrived  in  Philadelphia,  in  the  fall  of  1139.  Of  his 
incidental  labors  there.  Dr.  FrankUn  says  : 

"  The  multitudes  of  all  sects  and  denominations  that  attended  his  ser- 
mons in  Philadelphia,  were  enormous.  It  was  wonderful  to  see  the 
change  soon  made  in  the  manners  of  our  inhabitants.  From  being 
thoughtless  and  indifferent  about  religion,  it  seemed  as  if  all  the  world 
was  growing  religious ;  so  that  one  could  not  walk  through  the  town  in 
an  evening  without  hearing  psalms  sung  in  different  families  in  every 
street. 

"I  computed  that  he  might  well  be  heard  by  more  than  thirty 
thousand  people.  I  refused  to  contribute  to  his  orphan-house  in  Georgia, 
thinking  it  injudiciously  located.  Soon  after,  I  happened  to  attend  one 
of  his  sermons,  in  the  course  of  which  I  perceived  he  intended  to  finish 
witli  a  collection,  and  I  silently  resolved  he  should  get  nothing  from  me. 
I  had  in  my  pocket  a  handful  of  copper  money,  three  or  four  silver  dol- 
lars, and  five  pistoles  in  gold.  As  he  proceeded,  I  began  to  soften,  and 
determined  to  give  the  copper.  Another  stroke  of  his  oratory  made  me 
ashamed  of  that,  and  determined  me  to  give  the  silver;  and  he  finished 
so  admirably,  that  I  emptied  my  pocket  wholly  into  the  collector's  dish, 
gold  and  all.  At  this  sermon  there  was  also  one  of  our  club,  who, 
being  of  my  sentiments  respecting  the  building  at  Georgia,  and  suspect- 
ing a  collection  might  be  intended,  had,  by  precaution,  emptied  his 
pockets  before  he  came  from  home.  Towards  the  conclusion  of  the  dis- 
course, however,  he  felt  a  strong  incHnation  to  give,  and  applied  to  a 
neighbor,  who  stood  near  him,  to  lend  hira  some  money  for  the  purpose. 
The  request  was  made  to,  perhaps,  the  only  man  in  the  company  who 
had  the  firmness  not  to  be  affected  by  the  preacher.  His  answer 
was,  '  At  any  other  time,  friend  Hodgkinson,  I  would  lend  to  thee 
freely  ;  but  not  now,  for  thee  seems  to  be  out  of  thy  right  senses.'  " 


o6  HIS    PHEACHING   IN   NEW    YOKK. 

"  Look  where  I  would,"  says  an  eye-witness,  ''  most  were  drowned 
in  tears."  Among  other  very  striking  conversions  in  Philadelphia, 
at  this  period,  was  that  of  a  young  lady,  who  had  for  several  years 
made  a  public  profession  of  Christianity,  but  now  became  fally  con- 
vinced that  "she  was  totally  unacquainted  with  vital  piety."  It  is 
stated  that  she  once  walked  twenty  miles  to  hear  Whitefield  preach. 
She  became  a  woman  of  eminent  godliness. 

"An  aged  man  who  was  living  in  1806,  and  who  well  remembered  the 
scenes  he  witnessed,  bore  testimony  that  after  this  visit  of  the  great 
evangelist,  public  worship  was  regularly  celebrated  in  Philadelphia  twice 
a  day  for  a  whole  year ;  and  that  on  the  Lord's  day  it  was  celebrated  three, 
and  frequently  four  times  in  each  church.  He  said  there  were  not  less 
than  twenty-six  societies  regularly  held  for  prayer  and  Christian  con- 
ference. 

"  Such  was  the  influence  of  Whitefield,  not  only  in  Philadelphia,  but 
throughout  the  colony  of  Pennsylvania,  that  in  the  city  attention  to 
commerce  was  suspended,  and  in  the  country  the  cultivation  of  the  land 
for  the  time  being  was  abandoned,  that  people  might  hear  him  proclaim 
the  gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus." 

Years  afterwards,  an  excellent  minister.  Rev.  Mr.  Rodgers, 

"Asked  him  whether  he  recollected  the  occurrence  of  the  little  boy 
who  was  so  affected  with  his  preaching  as  to  let  his  lantern  fall.  Mr. 
"Whitefield  replied,  '  O  yes,  I  remember  it  well ;  and  have  often  thought 
I  would  give  almost  any  thing  in  my  power,  to  know  who  that  little  boy 
was,  and  what  had  become  of  him.'  Mr.  Rodgers  replied  with  a  smile, 
'I  am  that  little  boy.'  Mr.  Whitefield,  with  tears  of  joy,  started  from 
his  seat,  took  him  in  his  arms,  and  with  strong  emotion  remarked,  that 
he  was  the  fourteenth  person  then  in  the  ministry  whom  he  had  discov- 
ered in  the  course  of  that  visit  to  America,  in  whose  conversion  he 
had,  under  God,  been  instrumental." 

"  From  Philadelphia,  Whitefield  was  invited  to  ITew  York.  Upon  his 
arrival,  the  commissary  of  the  bishop,  he  says,  '  was  full  of  anger  and 
resentment,  and  denied  me  the  use  of  his  pulpit  before  I  asked  for  it. 
He  said  they  did  not  want  my  assistance.  I  replied,  that  if  they 
preached  the  gospel,  I  wished  them  good  luck  :  I  will  preach  in  the 
fields  ;  for  all  places  are  alike  to  me.'  The  undaunted  evangelist  there- 
fore preached  in  the  fields  ;  and  on  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  to  a  very 
thronged  and  attentive  audience,  in  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pemberton's  meet- 
ing-house, in  Wall  street ;  and  continued  to  do  so  twice  or  three  times 
a  day,  with  apparent  success." 

"As  to  the  localities  honored  by  Whitefield's  preaching  in  and  about 
the  city  of  New  York,  we  find  many  records  of  his  discoursing  in  the 
open  fields  of  the  surrounding  country ;  the  old  City  Exchange,  which 


FKUITS    OF   HIS    MINISTRY.  37 

stood  at  the  foot  of  Broad  street,  near  "Water  street,  and  which  was  built 
on  hirge  arches,  was  a  favorite  spot  for  itinerant  preachers,  and  for  White- 
iiekl  among  the  rest.  lAiring  liis  various  visits  to  New  Yorlc,  from  1745 
to  1700,  he  generally  preached  in  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Wall  street, 
which  was  then  the  only  church  of  that  denomination  in  the  city,  and  of 
which  the  Rev.  Dr.  Pemberton,  from  Boston,  was  the  minister.  After- 
wards, a  few  years  before  his  death,  he  was  accustomed  to  preach  in  the 
Brick  church  in  Beekman  street;  which  was  then  familiarly  called  the 
'Brick  Meeting,'  and  in  common  parlance,  said  to  be  'in  the  lields;'  so 
little  was  the  city  extended  at  that  period.  So  prosperous  was  his  min- 
istry in  New  York,  that  it  was  found  necessary  immediately  to  enlarge 
the  Presbyterian  church  in  Wall-street,  by  the  erection  of  galleries ;  and 
a  year  or  two  afterwards  it  was  again  enlarged  about  one-third,  in  order 
to  accommodate  the  stated  worshippers." 

In  this  city  occurred  the  well-known  illustration  of  his  dramatic 
power,  when,  preaching  to  a  large  number  of  sailors,  he  introduced 
a  description  of  a  storm  and  shipwreck,  carrying  away  their  imagin- 
ations so  irresistibly  that  in  the  climax  of  the  catastrophe  they  sprang 
to  their  feet,  exclaiming,  "  Take  to  the  long  boat!" 

From  New  York  Whitefield  returned  southwards  to  his  destination 
in  Georgia,  preaching  through  New  Jersey  to  great  multitudes, 
among  whom,  as  Edwards  has  already  noted  for  us,  a  work  of  grace 
had  recently  been  enjoyed  under  the  labors  of  "young  Mr.  Freling- 
huysen."  Passing  through  Philadelphia,  he  found  the  churches  closed 
against  him,  and  preached  in  the  fields. 

"  Societies  for  worship  were  commenced  in  different  parts  of  the  town ; 
not  a  few  began  seriously  to  inquire  after  the  way  of  salvation  ;  many 
negroes  came  to  the  evangelist  with  the  inquiry,  'Have  I  a  soul?'  and  a 
church  was  formed,  of  which  the  distinguished  Gilbert  Tennent  was  the 
pastor.  No  less  than  one  hundred  and  forty,  who  had  undergone  a 
previous  strict  examination  as  to  their  personal  piety,  were  received  as 
constituent  members  of  this  church,  and  large  additions  were  from  time 
to  time  made  to  their  number. 

"Mr.  Jones,  the  Baptist  minister  of  the  city,  told  Whitefield  of  the 
change  produced  by  his  former  preaching  on  the  minds  of  two  ministers ; 
one  of  whom  stated  to  his  congregation  that  he  had  hitherto  been  de- 
ceiving both  himself  and  them,  and  added,  that  he  could  not  preach  to 
them  at  present,  but  requested  them  to  unite  in  prayer  with  him ;  and 
the  other  resigned  his  charge,  to  itinerate  among  the  unenlightened  vil- 
lages of  New  Jersey  and  elsewhere.  Another  fact  was,  that  an  Indian 
trader  became  so  impressed  with  the  preaching  of  Whitefield,  that  he  had 
given  up  his  business,  and  was  gone  to  teach  the  Indians  with  whom  ho 
used  to  trade. 

"  There  had  been  a  drinking  club,  which  had  attached  to  it  a  negro 


35  FIRST   VISIT   TO   NEW    ENGLAND. 

boy  remarkable  tor  his  power  of  mimicry.  This  boy  was  directed  by 
the  gentlemen  who  composed  the  club  to  exercise  his  powers  on  Mr. 
Whitefieid :  he  did  so,  but  very  reluctantly ;  at  length  he  stood  up  and 
said,  '  I  speak  the  truth  in  Christ,  I  lie  not ;  "unless  you  repent,  you  will 
all  be  damned.'  This  unexpected  speech  had  such  an  effect  as  to  break 
up  the  club,  which  met  no  more." 

He  went  on  preaching  to  the  South,  encountered  a  determined 
persecution  from  ecclesiastical  authorities  in  Charleston,  laid  the  first 
brick  in  his  orphan-house  in  Georgia,  had  a  melting  season  of  labor 
with  the  hearts  of  his  young  people  there,  and  soon  (April,  1140) 
returned  northward,  preaching  all  the  way  to  immense  numbers,  in 
the  same  manner  as  before. 

In  September  he  arrived  at  Newport,  on  his  first  visit  to  New 
England.  He  was  welcomed  with  great  expectation  in  all  the  prin- 
cipal cities  and  towns,  and  remained  about  six  weeks,  preaching  with 
powerful  effect,  to  very  large  audiences  ;  although  it  is  observable 
that  the  rush  to  attend  his  preaching,  as  well  as  its  immediate  and 
visible  influence  upon  his  audiences,  was  by  no  means  so  remarkable 
as  in  England  and  in  other  parts  of  this  country. 

Again,  he  went  on  preaching  to  the  South,  through  New  York, 
New  Jersey  and  Philadelphia;  meeting  and  laboring  with  the  Teu- 
nents  and  the  celebrated  evangehst,  Davenport,  and  setting  the 
country  all  in  a  flame  of  religious  excitement.  In  January,  1*741, 
he  returned  to  England,  where  he  found  all  men  turned  against  him 
in  consequence  of  sectarian  controversies  in  which  he  had  mingled 
to  oppose,  by  letter,  the  narrower  views  of  popular  favorites  who 
had  held  the  field  in  his  absence.  He  went  on  preaching  the  gospel, 
nevertheless,  with  all  his  peculiar  disinterestedness,  breadth  and  sin- 
gleness of  purpose,  and  with  all  his  unmatched  power;  and  in  a  few 
days  the  tide  was  turned,  and  his  usefulness  became  more  eminent 
than  ever.  In  the  following  summer,  for  the  first  time,  he  went 
through  Scotland,  in  which  he  made,  in  the  whole,  no  less  than  four- 
teen preaching  tours,  from  1741  to  1168. 

"  Perhaps  no  man  was  ever  more  free  from  sectarianism  than  George 
■Whitefieid.  It  is  true,  that  he  was  ordained  a  clergyman  of  the  Church 
of  England,  and  never  manifested  any  degree  of  reluctance  to  ofiiciate 
within  its  walls  ;  but  it  is  equally  true,  that  the  vast  majority  of  his 
sermons  were  delivered  in  connection  with  other  bodies  of  Christians. 


IN   ENGLAND   AGAIN.  39 

"When  he  was  once  preaching  from  the  balcony  of  the  conrt-honse,  Market 
street,  Pliiladelphia,  he  delivered  an  impressive  apostrophe :  '  Father 
Abraham,  who  have  yon  in  heaven  ?  any  Episcopalians?'  'ISTo.'  'Any 
Presbyterians?'  'ISTo.'  'Any  Baptists?'  'No.'  'Have  you  any  Me- 
thodi«;ts,  Seceders,  or  Independents  there  ?'  '  No,  no ! '  '  Why  who  have 
you  there  ?'  '  We  don't  know  those  names  here.  All  who  are  here  are 
Christians,  believers  in  Christ — men  who  have  overcome  by  the  blood  of 
the  Lamb,  and  the  word  of  his  testimony.'  'Oh,  is  that  the  case?  then 
God  help  me,  God  help  us  all,  to  forget  party  names,  and  to  become 
Christians,  in  deed  and  in  truth.'  " 

The  breadth  of  his  mind  was  exhibited,  as  already  remarked,  in  his 
constant  refusal  to  permit  any  memorial  to  be  left  of  him  or  of  any 
peculiar  views  and  plans  of  his  own,  in  the  shape  of  a  sect  or  a  party. 
There  is  inexpressible  significance  in  such  a  stand  on  the  part  of  such# 
a  man,  in  such  a  time.  The  men  who  founded  schools  and  sects  in 
that  age  of  reformation,  were  great — some  of  them,  certainly — but 
he  who  could  see  and  feel  with  the  foremost  of  them,  and  yet  could 
refuse  to  found  anything,  and  build  solely  on  "  the  foundation  that 
is  laid,"  was  greater.  The  secret  of  this  lay  in  the  wholeness  of  his 
devotion  to  Christ,  and  to  that  unity  of  His  people  which  was  the 
burden  of  the  wondrous  intercession  left  on  record  for  us  in  the  17th 
chapter  of  John.  But  we  have  another  instance  of  broad  wisdom 
and  rare  purity  of  heart,  in  declining  a  species  of  power  which  is  almost 
universally  thought  legitimate  and  desirable  to  the  Christian  laborer. 
Daring  his  stay  in  Scotland,  in  the  year  1759,  a  young  lady.  Miss 
Hunter,  who  possessed  a  considerable  fortune,  made  a  full  offer  to 
him  of  her  estate  in  money  and  lands.  He  promptly  refused  the 
offer  ;  and  upon  his  declining  it  for  himself,  she  offered  it  to  him  for 
the  benefit  of  his  orphan- house.      This  also  he  absolutely  refused. 

Over  three  years  passed  before  his  next  visit  to  America,  during 
which  his  stated  employment  and  object,  what  may  be  called  the 
thread  of  his  career,  was  still,  as  at  all  other  times,  the  support  of 
his  charitable  enterprise  in  Georgia.  Upon  this  thread,  however, 
was  strung  an  immeasurable  amount  of  evangelistic  labor,  always 
incidental  as  to  its  occasions,  and  without  any  general  plan,  yet  so 
great  and  absorbing  as  to  conceal  this  original  purpose  almost 
wholly  from  yiew.  Many  remarkable,  incidents  occurred  before  his 
third  voyage  to  his  own  '  parish '  in  Georgia,  from  which  the  follow 
ing  are  selected  : 


4:0  OPPOSERS    CONVERTED. 

During  a  visit  to  Bristol,  Whitefield's  ministry  was  owned  of  God 
in  the  conversion  of  Thomas  Olivers,  a  young  profligate  Welshman. 
It  is  said,  he  had  so  studied  profanity  and  cursing,  that  he  would 
exemplify  the  richness  of  the  Welsh  language  by  compounding 
twenty  or  thirty  words  into  one  long  and  horrid  blasphemy.  He  had 
often  sung  profane  songs  about  Whitefield,  and  was  now  induced  by 
curiosity  to  go  to  hear  him.  Being  too  late  on  the  first  occasion,  he 
went  on  the  following  evening  nearly  three  hours  before  the  time.  The 
text  was,  "  Is  not  this  a  brand  plucked  out  of  the  fire  ?" — Zech.  iii.  2. 
His  heart  became  broken  with  the  sense  of  his  sins,  and  he  was  soon 
enabled  to  trust  in  the  mercy  of  Christ.  He  became  a  zealous  and 
successful  minister  of  Christ  among  the  followers  of  Mr.  Wesley,  and 
was  the  author  of  the  well-known  hymn. 


The  God  of  Abram  praise,"  etc. 


On  one  occasion,  while  preaching  under  the  shade  of  a  vener- 
able tree,  in  a  lovely  meadow,  a  poor  unhappy  man,  thinking 
to  turn  him  into  ridicule,  placed  himself  on  one  of  the  overhanging 
boughs,  immediately  above  the  preacher's  head,  and  with  monkey- 
like dexterity  mimicking  his  gestures,  endeavored  to  raise  a  laugh  in 
the  audience.  Guided  by  the  looks  of  some  of  his  hearers,  White- 
field  caught  a  glance  of  him,  but,  without  seeming  to  have  noticed 
him,  continued  his  discourse.  With  the  skill  of  a  wise  orator,  he 
reserved  the  incident  for  the  proper  place  and  time.  While  forcibly 
speaking  on  the  power  and  sovereignty  of  divine  grace,  with  increas- 
ing earnestness  he  spoke  of  the  unlikely  objects  it  had  often  chosen, 
and  the  uulooked  for  triumphs  it  had  achieved.  As  he  rose  to  the 
climax  of  his  inspiring  theme,  and  when  in  the  full  sweep  of  his  elo- 
quence, he  suddenly  paused,  and  turning  round,  and  pointing  slowly 
to  the  poor  creature  above  him,  he  exclaimed,  in  a  tone  of  deep  and 
thrilling  pathos,  "  Even  he  may  yet  be  the  subject  of  that  free  and 
resistless  grace."  It  was  a  shaft  from  the  Almighty.  Winged  by 
the  divine  Spirit,  it  struck  the  scoffer  to  the  heart,  and  realized  in  his 
conversion  the  glorious  truth  it  contained. 

When  he  was  in  Edinburgh  a  regiment  of  soldiers  were  stationed 
in  the  city,  in  which  was  a  sergeant  whose  name  was  Forbes,  a  very 
abandoned  man,  who,  everywhere  he  could  do  so,  run  in  debt  for 


MARTYRDOM.  41 

liquor,  with  which  he  was  almost  at  all  times  drunk.  His  wife 
washed  for  the  rcgimeut,  and  thus  obtained  a  little  money.  She  was 
a  pious  woman,  but  all  hur  attempts  to  reclaim  her  husbanu  were 
unsuccessful.  During  one  of  Mr.  Whitefield's  visits  to  the  city,  she 
offered  her  husband  a  sum  of  money,  if  he  would  for  once  go  and 
hear  the  eloquent  preacher.  This  was  a  strong  inducement,  and  he 
engaged  to  go.  The  sermon  was  in  a  field,  as  no  building  could 
have  contained  the  audience.  The  sergeant  was  rather  early,  and 
placed  himself  in  the  middle  of  the  field,  that  he  might  file  off  when 
}ilr.  Whitefield  ascended  the  pulpit ;  as  he  only  wished  to  be  able  to 
say  that  he  had  seen  him.  The  crowd,  however,  increased  ;  and 
when  the  preacher  appeared,  they  pressed  forward,  and  the  sergeant 
found  it  impossible  to  get  away.  The  prayer  produced  some  impres- 
sion on  his  mind,  but  the  sermon  convinced  him  of  his  sinfulness  and 
danger.  He  became  a  changed  man,  and  showed  the  reality  of  his 
conversion  by  living  for  many  years  in  a  very  penurious  manner,  till 
he  had  satisfied  the  claims  of  every  one  of  his  creditors. 

'^  While  he  was  at  Plymouth,  four  well-dressed  men  came  to  the  honso 
of  one  of  his  particular  friends,  in  a  kind  manner  inquiring  after  him, 
and  desiring  to  know  where  he  lodged.  Soon  after,  Mr.  Whitefield 
received  a  letter  informing  him  that  the  writer  was  a  nephew  of  Mr. 

S ,  an  attorney  in  New  York  ;  that  -he  liad  the  pleasure  of  supping 

with  Mr.  AVhitefield  at  his  uncle's  house,  and  requested  his  company  to 
sup  with  him  and  a  few  friends  at  a  tavern.  Mr.  Whitefield  replied  to 
him  that  he  was  not  accustomed  to  sup  abroad  at  such  houses,  but  he 
should  be  glad  of  the  gentleman's  company  to  eat  a  morsel  with  him  at 
his  own  lodging.  The  gentleman  accordingly  came  and  supped,  but  was 
observed  frequently  to  look  around  him,  and  to  be  very  absent.  At 
length  he  took  his  leave,  and  returned  to  his  companions  in  the  tavern, 
and  on  being  asked  by  them  what  he  had  done,  he  ansAvered,  that  he  had 
been  treated  with  so  much  civility  and  kindness  that  he  had  not  the 
heart  to  touch  him.  One  of  the  company,  a  lieutenant  of  a  man-of-war, 
laid  a  wager  of  ten  guineas  that  he  would  do  his  business  for  him. 
His  companions,  however,  had  the  precaution  to  take  away  his  sword. 

"  It  was  now  about  midni^i^ht,  and  Mr.  Whitefield  having  that  day 
preached  to  a  large  congregation,  and  visited  the  French  prisoners,  had 
retired  to  rest,  when  he  was  av/oke  and  told  that  a  well-dressed  gentle- 
man earnestly  wished  to  si)cak  with  him.  Su[)posing  that  it  was  some 
person  under  conviction  of  sin,  many  such  having  previously  called  upon 
him,  he  desired  him  to  bo  brought  to  his  room.  The  lieutenant  came, 
sat  down  by  his  bedside,  congratulated  him  upon  the  success  of  his 
ministry,  and  expressed  considerable  regret  that  he  had  been  prevented 
from  hearing  him.     Soon  after,  however,  he  began  to  utter  *.he  most 


42  THE    "  GREAT   AWAE:ENING  "    AGAIN. 

abusive  language,  and  in  a  cruel  and  cowardly  manner  beat  biin  in  his 
bed.  The  landlady  and  her  daughter,  hearing  the  noise,  rushed  into  the 
room  and  laid  hold  of  the  assailant ;  but  disengaging  himself  from  them, 
he  renewed  his  attack  on  the  unotfending  preacher,  who,  supposing  that 
he  was  about  to  be  shot  or  stabbed,  underwent  all  the  feelings  of  a  sud- 
den and  violent  death.  Soon  after,  a  second  person  came  into  the  house, 
and  called  from  the  bottom  of  the  stairs,  '  Take  courage,  I  am  ready  to 
help  you.'  But  by  the  repeated  cries  of  murder  the  neighborhood  had 
become  so  alarmed,  that  the  villains  were  glad  to  make  their  escape. 
'  The  next  morning,'  says  Mr.  Whitefield,  '  I  was  to  expound  at  a  private 
house,  and  then  to  set  out  for  Biddeford.  Some  urged  me  to  stay  and 
prosecute,  but  being  better  employed,  I  went  on  my  intended  journey, 
was  greatly  blessed  in  preaching  the  everlasting  gospel ;  and,  upon  my 
return,  was  well  paid  for  what  1  had  suffered,  curiosity  having  led  per- 
haps two  thousand  more  than  ordinary  to  see  and  hear  a  man  that  had 
like  to  have  been  murdered  in  his  bed.  And  I  trust,  in  the  five  weeks 
tliat  I  waited  for  the  convoy,  hundreds  were  awakened  and  turned  unto 
the  Lord.' 

"  As  Whitefield  was  one  day  preaching  in  Plymouth,  a  Mr.  Henry 
Tanner,  who  was  at  work  as  a  ship-builder  at  a  distance,  heard  his 
voice,  and  resolved,  with  five  or  six  of  his  companions,  to  go  and  drive 
him  from  the  place  where  he  stood ;  and  for  this  purpose  they  filled 
tlieir  pockets  with  stones.  When,  however,  Mr.  Tanner  drew  near,  and 
heard  Mr,  Whitefield  earnestly  inviting  sinners  to  Christ,  he  was  filled 
with  astonishment,  his  resolution  failed  him,  and  he  went  home  with 
his  mind  deeply  impressed.  On  the  following  evening,  he  again  attended, 
and  heard  Mr.  Whitefield  on  the  sin  of  those  who  crucified  the  Redeemer. 
After  he  had  forcibly  illustrated  their  guilt,  he  appeared  to  look  intently 
on  Mr.  Tanner,  as  he  exclaimed,  with  great  energy,  'Thou  art  the 
man!'  These  words  powerfully  impressed  Mr.  Tanner;  he  felt  his 
transgressions  of  the  divine  law  to  be  awfully  great,  and  in  the  agony  of 
his  soul  he  cried*,  '  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner !'  The  preacher  then 
proceeded  to  proclaim  the  free  and  abundant  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
which  he  commanded  to  be  preached  among  the  very  peoi)le  who  had 
murdered  him  ;  a  gleam  of  hope  entered  the  heart  of  the  penitent,  and 
he  surrendered  himself  to  Christ.  Mr.  Tanner  afterwards  entered  the 
ministry,  and  labored  with  great  success,  for  many  years,  at  Exeter." 

We  now  return  to  New  England,  and  the  events  which  ensued 
upon  the  first  visit  of  Whitefield,  and  the  preaching  of  Gilbert  Ten- 
uent,  who  followed  up  his  labors  there  with  a  power  which  was  per- 
haps not  much  inferior,  relatively  to  the  character  of  the  New 
England  raind.  Whitefield  had  spent  a  season  of  spiritual  delight 
with  Edwards  and  his  church,  at  Northampton,  in  the  fall  of  1740. 
The  revival  had  returned  to  this  people  already,  in  the  spring,  and 
continued  in  this  and  the  following  year.  The  preaching  of  the 
gospel  was  attended  with  the  most  wonderful  power,  in  every  part 


RESULTS   OF  THE   AWAEXNING.  43 

of  New  England,  and  revivals  gave  new  life  and  multiplied  numbers 
to  the  churches,  in  a  larger  number  of  towns  than  our  space  enables 
us  to  enumerate,  throughout  New  England,  and  in  the  Middle 
Stales.  This  is  the  period  which,  by  eminence,  is  called  "  the 
Great  Awakening."  As  oiie  example  of  the  power  of  the  go?pel  in 
those  days,  the  celebrated  sermon  preached  by  Edwards  at  Enfield, 
July  8,  1141,  must  be  mentioned  : 

"  While  the  people  of  the  neighboring  towns,"  says  Trumbull,  "  were 
in  great  distress  about  their  souls,  the  inhabitants  of  Enfield  were  very 
secure,  loose,  and  vain.  A  lecture  had  been  appointed  there,  and  the 
neighboring  people  were  so  affected  at  the  thoughtlessness  of  the  inhabi- 
tants, and  had  so  much  fear  that  God  would,  in  his  righteous  judgment, 
pass  them  bj,  that  many  of  them  were  prostrate  before  him  a  considera- 
ble part  of  the  previous  evening,  supplicating  the  mercy  of  heaven  in 
their  behalf  And  when  the  time  appointed  for  the  lecture  came,  a 
number  of  the  surrounding  ministers  were  present,  as  well  as  some  from 
a  distance — a  proof  of  the  prayerful  interest  felt  on  behalf  of  the  town." 
Mr.  Edwards  chose  for  his  text,  the  words,  '  Their  feet  shall  slide  in  duo 
time.' — Deut.  xxxii.  35.  '  When  they  went  into  the  meeting-house,  the 
appearance  of  the  assembly  was  thoughtless  and  vain ;  the  people 
scarcely  conducted  themselves  with  common  decency.'  But  as  the  ser- 
mon proceeded,  the  audience  became  so  overwhelmed  with  distress  and 
weeping,  that  the  preacher  was  '  obliged  to  speak  to  the  people  and 
desire  silence,  that  he  might  be  heard.'  The  excitement  soon  became 
intense  ;  and  it  is  said  that  a  minister  who  sat  in  the  pulpit  with  Mr. 
Edwards,  in  the  agitation  of  his  feelings,  caught  the  preacher  by  the 
skirt  of  his  dress,  and  said,  'Mr.  Edwards,  Mr.  Edwards,  is  not  God  a 
God  of  mercy  V  Many  of  the  hearers  were  seen  unconsciously  holding 
themselves  up  against  the  pillars,  and  the  sides  of  the  pe^-s,  as  though 
they  already  felt  themselves  sliding  into  the  pit.  This  fact  has  often 
been  mentioned  as  a  proof  of  the  strong  and  scriptural  character  of  Presi- 
dent Edwards'  peculiar  eloquence — the  eloquence  of  truth  as  attended  by 
influence  from  heaven ;  for  his  sermons  were  read  without  gestures." 

Probably  a  period  of  at  least  a  quarter  of  a  century  ought  to  be 
regarded  as  covered  by  the  "  Great  Awakening."  It  cannot  be 
doubted  that  at  least  50,000  souls  were  added  to  the  churches  of 
New  England  out  of  a  population  of  about  250,000,  as  it  is  esti- 
mated; which  makes  the  remarkable  proportion  of  twenty  percent, 
of  all  the  inhabitants — a  fact  sufficient  to  revolutionize,  as  indeed  it 
did,  the  religious  and  moral  character,  and  to  determine  the  destiuies, 
of  the  country.  But  this  was  not  all.  Perhaps  as  many  converts 
were  made  within  the  churches  as  without  them ;  and  this,  as  every 


4A  PRACTICAL  REFORMATION. 

experienced  Christian  knows,  is  a  change  of  double  moment  to  the 
church,  at  once  adding  strength  and  removing  the  most  depressing 
of  all  burdens.  Not  less  than  150  new  congregational  churches 
were  established  in  twenty  years.  The  increase  of  Baptist  churches 
in  the  last  half  of  that  century,  was  still  more  wonderful,  rising  from 
7iine  to  upwards  of  four  hundred  in  number,  with  a  total  of  thirty 
thousand  members.  The  increase  of  the  Presbyterians  and  other 
denominations  in  the  Middle  States,  appears  to  be  less  distinctly 
traced,  but  it  is  said  that  the  ministers  of  the  former  denomination 
were  more  than  doubled  in  number,  within  "  a  few  years,"  while  the 
churches  had  multiplied  in  a  still  larger  proportion. 

But  all  these  numerical  changes  express  very  little  of  the  profound 
revolution  which  took  place  in  the  religious  life  of  the  church  and 
the  country.  We  cannot  enter  into  a  thorough  comparison  of  the 
state  of  religion  before  and  after  the  revival,  nor  into  a  view  of  the 
important  doctrinal  and  practical  conflicts  which  it  produced,  and 
ultimately  settled  in  a  manner  now  universally  felt  to  have  been  vital 
to  the  soundness  and  prosperity  of  religion.  An  illustration  may 
set  this  subject  in  a  strong  light.  The  colossal  Edwards,  almost  in 
the  zenith  of  his  reputation  and  influence,  was  dismissed  from  the 
pastoral  office,  by  the  church  in  Northampton  of  which  he  was  little 
less  than  the  spiritual  father,  with  the  advice  of  a  council,  as  late  as 
1750,  for  having  taken  that  side  of  the  "  regeneration"  controversy 
which  held  that  credible  evidence  may  be  communicated  from  man  to 
man,  of  an  inward  experience  of  regeneration,  and  ought  to  be  exacted 
as  the  condition  of  communion  with  the  church.  This  shows  what 
a  gulf  of  latitudinarianism  was  closed  by  the  new  Reformation  when 
Edwards  and  the  Revivalists  triumphed,  and  the  great  body  of 
churches  of  every  name,  expressly  or  tacitly  adopted  the  now  prevail- 
ing test.  The  consequences  escaped  by  this  timely  change,  may  be 
inferred  from  the  fate  of  the  churches  which  persisted  in  "  the  good 
old  way,"  and  became  Unitarian  or  extinct.  The  Presbyterian 
church  was  rent  by  substantially  the  same  controversy  which  in 
their  case  hinged  more  particularly  on  conversion  as  a  necessary 
qualification  for  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  and  on  the  liberty  claimed 
by  the  Revivalists,  of  preaching  in  the  parishes  of  unconverted  min- 
isters.    **  A  large  majority  in  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  many,  if 


45 

not  most,  in  New  England,  held  that  the  ministrations  of  unconverted 
men,  if  neither  heretical  in  doctrine  nor  scandalous  for  immorality, 
were  valid  and  their  labors  useful."  In  1741,  Tennent  and  his 
friends  were  in  a  minority  in  the  Synod,  and  were  excluded.  In 
1762,  their  majority  in  the  Synod  was  Sihout  forty-nine  to  fourteen. 

"This  doctrine  of  the  'new  birth,'  as  an  ascertainable  change,  was  not 
generally  prevalent  in  any  communion  when  the  revival  commenced  ;  it 
was  urged  as  of  fundamental  importance,  by  the  leading  promoters  of 
the  revival ;  it  took  strong  hold  of  those  whom  the  revival  aifected  ;  it 
naturally  led  to  such  questions  as  the  revival  brought  up  and  caused  to 
be  discussed  ;  its  perversions  naturally  grew  into,  or  associated  with,  such 
errors  as  the  revival  promoted ;  it  was  adapted  to  provoke  such  opposi- 
tion, and  in  such  quarters,  as  the  revival  provoked ;  and  its  caricatures 
would  furnish  such  pictures  of  the  revival,  as  opposers  drew." 


With  these  mere  examples  and  illustrations  of  the  Reformation  un- 
der Whitefield  and  Edwards,  the  Tennents,  the  Wesleys,  and  their 
illustrious  host  of  co-laborers,  we  must  relinquish  our  hasty  sketch- 
ings. Whitefield,  it  is  well  known,  swept  on  in  his  impetuous  course 
with  unchecked  ardor  and  energy,  over  sea  and  land,  for  thirty-four 
years,  to  the  last  day  of  his  life,  which  was  the  30th  of  September,  1770. 
His  last  sermon  was  at  Exeter,  Mass.  An  eye-witness  says  :  "  It 
was  usual  for  Mr.  Whitefield  to  be  attended  by  Mr.  Smith,  who 
preached  when  he  was  unable  on  account  of  sudden  attacks  of  asthma. 
At  the  time  referred  to,  after  Mr.  Smith  had  delivered  a  short  dis- 
course, Mr.  Whitefield  seemed  desirous  of  speaking;  but  from  the 
weak  state  in  which  he  then  was,  it  was  thought  almost  impossible. 
He  rose  from  the  seat  in  the  pulpit,  and  stood  erect,  and  his  appear- 
ance alone  was  a  powerful  sermon.  The  thinness  of  his  visage, 
the  paleness  of  his  countenance,  the  evident  struggling  of  the 
heavenly  spark  in  a  decayed  body  for  utterance,  were  all  deeply 
interesting;  the  spirit  was  willing,  but  the  flesh  was  dying.  In  this 
situation  he  remained  several  minutes,  unable  to  speak ;  he  then  said, 
'  I  will  wait  for  the  gracious  assistance  of  God,  for  he  will,  I  am 
certain,  assist  me  once  more  to  speak  in  his  name.'  He  then  deliv- 
ered perhaps  one  of  his  best  sermons,  for  the  light  generally  burns 
most  splendidly  when  about  to  expire.  Among  these  last  words 
were  tlie  following:  *  I  go,  I  go  to  rest  prepared;  my  sun  has  arisen, 
and  by  aid  from  heavei>,  given  light  to  many;  'tis  now  about  to  set 


46  HIS   LAST    SEKMON. 

for — no,  it  cannot  be!  'tis  to  rise  to  the  zenith  of  immortal  glory; 
I  have  outlived  many  on  earth,  but  they  cannot  outlive  me  in  heaven. 
Many  shall  live  when  this  body  is  no  more,  but  then — oh,  thouglit 
divine! — I  shall  be  in  a  world  where  time,  age,  pain,  and  sorrow  are 
unknown.  My  body  fails,  my  spirit  expands  ;  how  willingly  would 
I  live  forever  to  preach  Christ!  but  I  die  to  be  with  him.  How 
brief,  comparatively  brief,  has  been  my  life,  compared  with  the  vast 
labors  I  see  before  me  yet  to  be  accomplished;  but  if  I  leave  now, 
while  so  few  care  about  heavenly  things,  the  God  of  peace  will  surely 
visit  you.'  These  and  many  other  things  he  said,  which,  though 
simple,  were  rendered  important  by  circumstances;  for  death  had  let 
fly  his  arrow,  and  the  shaft  was  deeply  enfixed  when  utterance  was 
given  to  them;  his  countenance,  his  tremulous  voice,  his  debilitated 
frame,  all  gave  convincing  evidence  that  the  eye  which  saw  him 
should  shortly  see  him  no  more  for  ever." 

We  cannot  resist  quoting  a  passage  from  his  last  sermon  in 
England,  which,  though  very  inadequately  reported,  is  too  full  of 
pith  and  force  to  leave  any  doubt  of  the  sterling  sohdity  of  his 
genius.     His  text  was  : 

"  '  My  sheep  hear  my  voice,  and  I  know  them,  and  they  follow  me  : 
and  I  give  unto  them  eternal  life;  and  they  shall  never  perish,  neither 
shall  any  man  pluck  them  out  of  my  hand.' 

"  These  words,  it  will  be  recollected,  were  uttered  by  Christ  at  the 
feast  of  the  dedication.  This  festival  was  of  bare  human  invention,  and 
yet  I  do  not  tind  that  our  Lord  preached  against  it.  And  I  believe  that 
w^hen  Ave  see  things  as  we  ought,  we  shall  not  entertain  our  auditories 
about  rites  and  ceremonies,  but  about  the  grand  thing.  It  is  the  glory 
of  Methodists,  that  while  they  have  been  preaching  forty  years,  there 
has  not  been,  that  I  know  of,  one  single  pamphlet  published  by  them 
about  the  non-essentials  of  religion. 

"  The  Lord  divides  the  world  into  sheep  and  goats.  O  sinners,  you 
are  come  to  hear  a  poor  creature  take  his  last  farewell ;  but  I  want  you 
to  forget  the  creature  and  his  preaching.  I  want  to  lead  you  further 
than  the  Tabernacle — even  to  Mount  Calvary,  to  see  with  what  expense 
of  blood  Jesus  Christ  purchased  '  his  own.'  Now,  before  I  go  any  fur- 
ther, will  you  be  so  good,  before  the  world  gets  into  your  hearts,  to 
inquire  whether  you  belong  to  Christ  or  not.  Surely  the  world  did  not 
get  into  your  hearts  before  you  rose  from  your  beds.  Many  of  you 
were  up  soonei-  than  usual.  [The  sermon  was  preached  at  seven  o'clock 
in  the  morning.]  i  hope  the  world  does  not  get  into  your  hearts  before 
nine.  Man,  woman,  sinner,  put  thy  hand  upon  thy  heart,  and  say, 
Didst  thou  ever  hear  Christ's  voice  so  as  to  follow  him  ?" 


WESLEY   AJS'D   HIS    MISSIOIT.  47 

We  have  been  permitted  but  to  exemplify  and  illustrate  a  vast 
subject  in  part,  within  the  restrictions  of  a  few  hours'  leisure  and  a 
few  pages  of  room;  and  much  that  is  omitted  may  be  equally  wor- 
thy of  notice  with  much  that  has  been  selected.  One  or  two  of 
these  unused  elements  in  the  religious  history  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  are  of  too  eminent  importance  to  be  ignored  with  propriety, 
even  in  that  which  does  not  pretend  to  be  properly  so  much  as  a 
historical  sketch.  The  influence,  vastly  wider  than  their  direct 
agency,  of  that  remarkable  missionary  society,  the  United  Brethren, 
or  Moravian  Church,  must  be  taken  into  account  by  any  one  who 
would  frame  a  proper  conception  of  the  religious  movement  of  that 
day.  But  the  great  constructive  and  organizing  mind,  appointed 
doubtless  by  the  Head  of  the  church,  to  gather  and  embody  the 
fruits  of  the  new  popular  evangelism,  can  by  no  means  be  forgotten. 
As  Evangelists,  John  and  Charles  Wesley,  with  their  own  pecu- 
liar associates,  performed  a  very  eminent  part  in  the  work  of  awak- 
ening and  conversion;  but  in  nourishing  and  guiding  the  multitude 
of  humbler  minds  which  this  out-door  evangelism  gathered  to  Chris*"., 
and  organizing  them  into  a  new  spiritual  estate,  so  to  speak,  of  His 
realm,  destined  to  an  unparalleled  growth,  activity,  and  success — in 
this  important  office,  John  Wesley  is  rather  alone  than  eminent. 
Without  exalting  systems  unduly  in  comparison  with  the  pure  and 
simple  vitality  for  want  of  which  they  exist  in  the  world,  and  which 
seems  only  to  be  exhibited  prophetically,  "  a  sign  and  a  wonder,"  in 
a  Paul  or  a  Whitefield ;  we  must  recognize  their  great  importance 
in  their  place,  and  relatively  to  the  necessities  of  that  stage  of  pro- 
gress which  evolved  them,  and  as  employed  in  the  hand  of  Him 
who  hath  done  all  things  well.  Among  them  the  system  of  Method- 
ism must  be  admitted,  by  every  observer  of  ordinary  information,  to 
have  been  one  of  the  most  important  products  of  this  latter  day,  and 
a  striking  manifestation  of  God's  wisdom  and  power  in  Providence. 
It  has  given  an  embodiment,  a  consciousness,  and  an  impulse,  as 
well  as  a  luxuriant  development,  to  the  most  energetic  order,  per- 
haps, of  the  Christian  mind;  an  order  before  known  to  itself  and 
the  church  only  in  a  weak  and  dependent  capacity.  It  is  the  great- 
est, aptest,  single  monument  of  the  popular  religious  movement  of 
the  last  centur^^ — the  crystallization  of  that  mi'^htv  fusion  of  the 


48  KETKOSPECT  AND  PEOSPECT. 

masses  which  everywhere  attended  the  preaching  of  Whitefield  and 
his  friends.  Evangelism  swept  down  the  indiscriminate  harvest 
with  its  scythe  :  Methodism  came  after,  binding  it  in  bundles  for 
the  garner. 

From  this  great  epoch  to  the  present  day,  the  varying  progress 
of  the  cause  of  Christ  has  been,  on  the  whole,  visibly  onward. 
Less  than  one  hundred  years  have  passed;  and  the  religious  change 
in  England  and  America  is  so  great  as  to  render  the  then  state  of 
things,  both  within  and  around  the  church,  almost  inconceivable  to 
the  modern  mind,  as  so  near  to  us  in  time.  The  rise  of  Missions, 
Sabbath-schools,  Christian  liberty  and  union,  missions  to  outcasts, 
philanthropic  movements  and  moral  reforms,  and  above  all,  of 
the  standard  of  life  and  activity  in  the  churches,  which  we  now  wit- 
ness as  the  fruit  of  that  spring-time,  strikes  us  with  astonishment 
when  we  consider  the  brief  period,  not  more  than  many  an  indivi- 
dual's pilgrimage  on  earth,  in  which  all  this  has  come  to  pass.  In 
the  latter  half  of  this  interval,  revivals  have  come  to  be  regarded  in 
the  light  of  an  indispensable  institution,  and  their  frequent  recur- 
rence in  every  church  is  expected  as  the  ordinary  blessing  of  God 
upon  ordinary  fidelity  and  prayerfulness.  Looking  forward  by  the 
light  of  experience,  and  comparing  our  present  starting-point  with 
that  from  which  we  set  out  a  century  ago,  we  are  admonished  to 
pitch  our  conceptions  and  anticipations  higher,  and  direct  our  enter- 
prises and  prayers  toward  developments  more  marvellous  yet  than 
hope  can  measure. 


CONVERSION  OF    EMINENT  PERSONS. 


Martin    Luther. 

On  attaining  his  eighteenth  year,  Luther  was  sent  to  the  University 
of  Erfurth,  in  1501.  His  father  required  him  to  study  the  law. 
Full  of  confidence  in  his  son's  talents,  he  desired  to  see  him  cultivate 
them,  and  make  them  known  in  the  world.  At  Erfurth,  Luther 
outstripped  his  schoolfellows.  Gifted  with  a  retentive  memory  and 
a  vivid  imagination,  all  that  he  had  heard  or  read  remained  fixed 
on  his  mind  ;  it  was  as  if  he  had  seen  it  himself.  But  even  at  this 
early  period  the  young  man  of  eighteen  did  not  study  merely  with  a 
view  of  cultivating  his  understanding.  There  was  within  him  a 
spirit  of  serious  thoughtfulness.  He  felt  that  he  depended  entirely 
on  God,  and  fervently  invoked  the  divine  blessing  on  his  labors. 
Every  morning  he  began  the  day  with  prayer  ;  then  he  went  to 
church  ;  and  afterwards  commenced  his  studies,  which  he  pro- 
secuted all  day  without  intermission.  One  would  almost  say  of  him 
that  he  lacked  nothing. 

When  Luther  had  been  two  years  at  Erfurth,  he  saw  a  Bible  for 
the  first  time.  It  was  in  the  university  library.  On  opening  it  he 
was  filled  with  astonishment  to  find  in  it  more  than  those  fragments 
of  the  Gospels  and  Epistles  which  the  church  had  selected  to  be 
read  to  the  people  in  their  places  of  worship.  Till  then  he  had 
thought  that  these  were  the  whole  word  of  God.  With  eagerness, 
and  indescribable  feelings,  he  turned  over  the  leaves  of  this  Latin 
Bible.  He  read  and  re-read,  and  then,  in  his  surprise  and  joy,  he 
went  back  to  read  again. 

In  this  same  year  Luther  was  laid  on  a  sick-bed.  Death  seemed 
at  hand,  and  serious  reflections  filled  his  mind.     All  were  interested 

3 


&ti  CONVERSION   OF 

in  the  young  man.  "  It  was  a  pity,"  they  thought,  '*  to  see  so 
many  hopes  so  early  extinguished."  Nor  were  they  extinguished. 
Luther  recovered,  and  seemed  to  himself  to  have  been  called  to  a 
new  vocation.  But  yet  there  was  no  settled  purpose  in  his  mind. 
He  resumed  his  studies,  and,  in  1505,  was  made  doctor  in  philoso- 
phy. Encouraged  by  the  honors  which  were  heaped  upon  him  on 
this  occasion,  he  prepared  to  apply  himself  entirely  to  the  study  of 
the  law,  agreeably  to  the  wishes  of  his  father.  But  God  willed 
otherwise. 

Whilst  Luther  was  engaged  in  various  studies  and  beginning  to 
teach  in  the  university,  his  conscience  incessantly  reminded  him  that 
religion  was  the  one  thing  needful,  and  that  his  first  care  should  be 
the  salvation  of  his  soul. 

He  had  learned  God's  hatred  of  sin  ;  he  remembered  the  penalties 
that  his  word  denounces  against  the  sinner  ;  and  he  asked  himself, 
tremblingly,  if  he  were  sure  that  he  possessed  the  favor  of  God. 
His  conscience  answered  "  No." 

His  character  was  prompt  and  decided  :  he  resolved  to  do  all 
that  depended  on  himself  to  insure  a  well-grounded  hope  of  immor- 
tality. Two  events  occurred,  one  after  another,  to  rouse  his  soul 
and  confirm  his  resolution.  Among  his  college  friends  there  was 
one  named  Alexis,  with  whom  he  was  very  intimate.  One  morning 
a  report  was  spread  that  Alexis  had  been  assassinated.  Luther 
hurried  to  the  spot,  and  ascertained  the  truth  of  the  report.  This 
sudden  loss  of  his  friend  affected  him,  and  the  question  which  he 
asked  himself,  "  What  would  become  of  me  if  I  were  thus  suddenly 
called  away  ?"  filled  his  mind  with  the  liveliest  apprehension. 

During  the  summer  of  1505,  Luther  visited  the  home  of  his  child- 
hood at  Mandsfeldt,  and  on  his  return  to  the  university,  he  was 
within  a  short  distance  of  Erfurth,  when  he  was  overtaken  by  a 
violent  storm.  The  thunder  roared  ;  a  thunderbolt  sank  into  the 
ground  at  his  side.  Luther  threw  himself  on  his  knees  :  his  hour  is 
perhaps  come  :  death,  judgment,  eternity,  are  before  him  in  all 
their  terrors,  and  speak  with  a  voice  which  he  can  no  longer  resist  ; 
encompassed  with  the  anguish  and  terror  of  death,  as  he  himself 
says,  he  makes  a  vow,  if  God  will  deliver  him  from  this  danger,  to 
forsake  the  world  and  devote  himself  entirely  to  his  service.     Risen 


EMINENT   PERSONS.  51 

from  the  earth,  having  still  before  his  eyes  that  death  which  must 
one  day  overtake  him,  he  examines  himself  seriously,  and  inquires 
what  he  must  do.  The  thoughts  that  formerly  troubled  him  retiu-n 
with  redoubled  power.  He  has  endeavored,  it  is  true,  to  fulfill  all 
his  duties  ;  but  what  is  the  state  of  his  soul  ?  Can  he  with  a  pol- 
luted soul  appear  before  the  tribunal  of  so  terrible  a  God?  He 
must  become  holy.  He  now  thirsts  after  holiness  as  he  had  thirsted 
after  knowledge  ;  but  where  shall  he  find  it  ?  How  is  it  to  be 
attained  ?  The  university  has  furnished  him  with  the  means  of 
satisfying  his  thirst  for  knowledge.  Who  will  assuage  this  anguish, 
this  vehement  desire  that  consumes  him  now  ?  To  what  school  of 
hohness  can  he  direct  his  steps  ?  He  will  go  into  a  cloister  ;  the 
monastic  life  will  insure  his  salvation.  How  often  has  he  been  told 
of  its  power  to  change  the  heart,  to  cleanse  the  sinner,  to  make 
men  perfect  !  He  will  enter  into  a  monastic  order.  He  will  there 
become  holy.     He  will  thus  insure  his  eternal  salvation. 

Such  were  the  resolutions  and  hopes  which  filled  the  breast  of 
Luther  as  he  reentered  Erfurth.  His  resolution  was  unalterable. 
Still,  it  is  with  reluctance  that  he  prepares  to  break  ties  that  are  so 
dear  to  him.  One  evening  he  invites  his  college  friends  to  a  cheer- 
ful and  simple  repnst.  Music  once  more  enlivens  their  social  meet- 
ing. It  is  Luther's  farewell  to  the  world.  At  the  moment  when 
the  gaiety  of  his  friend  it  at  its  height,  the  young  man  can  no 
longer  repress  the  serious  thoughts  that  occupy  his  mind.  He 
speaks.  He  declares  his  intention  to  his  astonished  friends.  They 
endeavor  to  oppose  it  ;  but  in  vain.  And  that  very  night  Luther, 
perhaps  dreading  their  importunity,  quits  his  lodgings.  Leaving 
behind  his  books  and  furniture,  and  taking  w^th  him  only  Virgil  and 
Plautus  (he  had  not  yet  a  Bible),  he  goes  alone  in  the  darkness  of 
the  night,  to  the  convent  of  the  Hermits  of  St.  Augustine.  He 
asks  admittance.  The  door  opens  and  closes.  And,  not  yet  two-aud- 
twenty  years  old,  he  is  separated  from  his  parents,  his  companions, 
and  the  world. 

Luther  imagines  himself  now  with  God  and  safe.  His  decision 
and  renunciation  of  the  world  are  commended  by  the  monks  and 
reprobated  by  his  father  and  friends.  As  for  himself,  he  is  quite  in 
earnest.     The  ring  he  received  when  made  doctor  of  philosophy,  he 


52  CONVEKSION   OF 

returns  to  the  university,  that  nothing  may  remind  him  of  the  vMY\d 
he  has  renounced.  Within  his  new  home  he  performs  the  meanest 
offices.  And  then,  when  the  young  monk,  who  was  at  once  porter, 
sexton,  and  servant  of  the  cloister,  had  finished  his  worlv,  "  With 
your  bag  through  the  tov/n  !"  cried  the  brothers  ;  and,  loaded  with 
his  bread-bag,  he  was  obliged  to  go  through  the  streets  of  Erfurth, 
begging  from  house  to  house,  and  perhaps  at  the  doors  of  those 
very  persons  who  had  been  either  his  friends  or  his  inferiors.  But 
he  bore  it  all.  Inclined,  from  his  natural  disposition,  to  devote  him- 
self heartily  to  whatever  he  undertook,  it  was  with  his  whole  soul 
that  he  had  become  a  monk.  Besides,  could  he  wish  to  spare  the 
body  ?  to  regard  the  satisfying  of  the  flesh  ?  Not  thus,  he  thought, 
could  he  acquire  the  humility,  the  holiness,  that  he  had  come  to  seek 
within  the  walls  of -a  cloister. 

The  prior  of  the  convent,  upon  the  intercession  of  the  university, 
freed  Luther,  ere  long,  from  the  mean  offices  which  the  monks  had 
imposed  upon  him;  and  the  young  monk  resumed  his  studies  with 
fresh  zeal.  The  works  of  the  fathers,  especially  St.  Augustine, 
attracted  his  attention.  Nothing  struck  him  so  much  as  the  opi- 
nions of  this  father  upon  the  corruption  of  man's  will,  and  upon  the 
grace  of  God.  He  felt,  in  his  own  experience,  the  reality  of  that 
corruption,  and  the  necessity  for  that  grace.  The  words  of  Augus- 
tine found  an  echo  in  his  heart.  He  loved  above  all  to  draw  wisdom 
from  the  pure  spring  of  the  word  of  God.  He  found  in  the  convent 
a  Bible,  fastened  by  a  chain,  and  to  this  chained  Bible  he  had  con- 
stant recourse.  He  understood  but  little  of  the  word;  but  still  it 
was  his  most  absorbing  study. 

Burning  with  a  desire  after  that  holiness  which  he  had  sought  in 
the  cloister,  Luther  gave  himself  up  to  all  the  rigor  of  an  ascetic  life. 
He  endeavored  to  crucify  the  flesh  by  fastings,  macerations,  and 
watchings.  Shut  up  in  his  cell  as  in  a  prison,  he  was  continually 
struggling  against  the  evil  thoughts  and  inclinations  of  his  heart. 
A  little  bread,  a  single  herring,  were  often  his  only  food;  and  for 
days  together  he  would  go  without  eating  or  drinking.  Nothing 
was  too  great  a  sacrifice,  at  this  period,  for  the  sake  of  becoming 
holy  to  gain  heaven.  Never  did  a  cloister  witness  efforts  more  sin- 
cere and  unwearied  to  purchase  eternal  happiness.     Had  they  lasted 


EMINENT   PERSONS.  53 

much  loDger,  he  would  have  become  a  martyr  literally,  he  declared 
afterwards,  through  watchings,  prayer,  readhig,  and  other  labors. 

Never  did  human  soul  obey  this  natural  impulse  to  essay  its  own 
redemption,  both  from  guilt  and  from  sin,  with  more  promptness  and 
earnestness  than  did  Luther's.  In  his  agony  of  mind,  he  had 
recourse  to  all  the  practices  of  monkish  holiness.  When  temptations 
assailed  him,  *'  I  am  a  lost  man,"  he  said,  and  then  resorted  to  a 
thousand  methods  to  appease  the  reproaches  of  his  heart.  "  I  con- 
fessed every  day.  But  all  that  was  of  no  use.  Then,  overwhelmed 
with  dejection,  I  distressed  myself  by  the  multitude  of  my  thoughts. 
See,  said  I  to  myself,  thou  art  envious,  impatient,  passionate;  there- 
fore, wretch  that  thou  art,  it  is  of  no  use  to  thee  to  have  entered 
into  this  holy  order."  One  day,  overcome  with  sadness,  he  shut 
himself  in  his  cell,  and  for  several  days  and  nights  suffered  no  one 
to  approach  him.  At  last  the  door  was  broken  open,  and  Luther 
was  found  stretched  on  the  floor  iu  unconsciousness  and  without  any 
sign  of  life.  And  there,  through  mental  suffering  and  bodily  self- 
mortification,  he  would  have  perished,  but  for  those  who  rescued 
him  by  a  gentle  violence. 

The  superior  of  the  Augustinian  order  was  a  man  of  enlightened 
mind.  The  study  of  the  Bible  and  of  St.  Augustine,  the  knowledge 
of  himself,  the  war  which  he,  like  Luther,  had  to  wage  with  the 
deceitfulness  and  lusts  of  his  own  heart,  had  led  him  to  the  Saviour. 
And  he  found,  in  faith  in  Christ,  peace  to  his  soul.  This  good  man, 
John  Staupitz,  found  Luther  reduced  by  study,  fasting,  and  watch- 
ing, so  that  you  might  count  his  bones.  He  saw,  in  his  countenance, 
the  expression  of  a  soul  agitated  with  severe  conflicts,  but  yet  strong 
and  capable  of  endurance.  He  approached  him  affectionately,  and 
endeavored  to  overcome  the  timidity  of  the  novice.  The  heart  of 
Luther,  which  had  remained  closed  under  harsh  treatment,  at  last 
opened  and  expanded  to  the  sweet  beams  of  love.  He  felt  that  the 
vicar-general  understood  him,  and  did  not  refuse  to  open  to  him  the 
cause  of  his  sadness. 

"  It  is  vain,"  said  the  dejected  Luther,  ''  that  I  make  promises  to 
God;  sin  is  alwa3's  too  strong  for  me."  "  Oh,  my  friend,"  answered 
the  vicar-general,  "  I  have  vowed  to  the  holy  God  more  than  a 
thousand  times  that  I  would  live  a  holy  life,  and  never  have  I  kept 


5-1  CONVERSION    OF 

my  vow.  I  now  make  no  more  vows;  for  I  know  well  I  sliall  not 
keep  them.  If  God  will  not  be  merciful  to  me  for  Christ's  sake, 
and  grant  me  a  happy  death  when  I  leave  this  world,  I  cannot  with 
all  my  vows  and  good  works,  stand  before  him.  I  must  perish.'' 
The  young  monk  was  terrified  at  the  thought  of  divine  justice.  He 
confessed  all  his  fears.  The  uuspeakable  holhiess  of  God,  his  sovereign 
majesty,  filled  him  with  awe.  "  But  why,"  said  Staupitz,  "  do  you 
distress  yourself  with  these  speculations  and  high  thoughts  ?"  Look 
to  the  wounds  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  the  blood  which  he  has  shed  for 
you;  it  is  there  you  will  see  the  mercy  of  God.  Instead  of  tortur- 
ing yourself  for  your  faults,  cast  yourself  into  the  arms  of  your 
Redeemer.  Trust  in  him,  in  the  righteousness  of  his  life,  in  the 
expiatory  sacrifice  of  his  death.  Do  not  shrink  from  him;  God  is 
not  against  you;  it  is  you  who  are  estranged  and  averse  from 
God." 

But  Luther  could  not  find  in  himself  the  repentance  which  he 
thought  necessary  to  his  salvation;  he  answered,  "How  can  I  dare 
to  believe  in  the  favor  of  God,  so  long  as  there  is  in  me  no  real 
conversion  ?  I  must  be  changed  before  he  can  receive  me."  His 
venerable  guide  endeavored  to  show  him  that  there  can  be  no  real 
conversion  so  long  as  man  fears  God  as  a  severe  Judge.  "  What 
will  you  say,  then,"  cried  Luther,  "to  so  many  consciences,  to 
whom  are  prescribed  a  thousand  insupportable  penances  in  order  to 
gain  heaven  ?"  The  answer  to  this  question  seemed  to  him  a  voice 
from  heaven.  "There  is,"  said  Stau^jitz,  "no  true  repentance  but 
that  which  begins  in  the  love  of  God  and  of  righteousness.  That 
which  some  fancy  to  be  the  end  of  repentance  is  only  its  beginning. 
In  order  to  be  filled  with  the  love  of  that  which  is  good,  you  must 
first  be  filled  with  the  love  of  God.  If  you  wish  to  be  really  con- 
verted, do  not  follow  these  mortifications  and  penances.  Love  Him 
who  has  first  loved  you."  These  words  penetrated  the  heart  of 
Luther.  Guided  by  this  new  light,  he  consulted  the  Scriptures, 
He  looked  to  all  the  passages  which  speak  of  repentance  and  con- 
version— words  which  were  no  longer  dreaded  but  became  the 
sweetest  refreshment.  Those  passages  of  Scripture  which  once 
alarmed  him  seemed  now,  he  says,  to  run  to  him  from  all  sides,  to 
smile,  to  spring  up,  and  play  around  him. 


E^HNENT   PERSONS.  6§ 

"  Before/'  he  exclaims,  "  though  I  carefully  dissembled  with  God 
as  to  the  state  of  my  heart,  and  though  I  tried  to  express  a  love  for 
him,  which  was  only  a  constraint  and  a  mere  fiction,  there  was  no 
word  in  the  Scripture  more  bitter  to  me  ihun  repentance.  But  now 
there  is  not  one  more  sweet  and  pleasant  to  me.  Oh,  how  blessed 
are  all  God's  precepts,  when  we  read  them,  not  in  books  alone,  but 
in  the  precious  words  of  the  Saviour!" 

This  change,  however,  was  not  instantaneous,  but  gradual. 
"  Oh  I  my  sin!  my  sin!  my  sin!"  he  cried,  one  day,  in  the  presence 
of  the  vicar-general,  and  in  a  tone  of  the  bitterest  grief.  "  Well, 
would  you  be  only  the  semblance  of  a  sinner,"  replied  the  latter, 
"  and  have  only  the  semhlance  of  a  Saviour  ?  Know  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  Saviour  of  those  even  who  are  real  and  great  sinners, 
and  deserving  of  utter  condemnation."  To  the  doubts  of  liis  con- 
science were  added  those  of  his  reason.  He  wished  to  penetrate 
into  the  secret  counsels  of  God — to  unveil  his  mysteries,  to  see  the 
invisible,  and  comprehend  the  incomprehensible.  Staupitz  checked 
him.  He  persuaded  him  not  to  attempt  to  fathom  God,  but  to 
confine  himself  to  what  he  has  revealed  of  his  character  in  Christ. 
"  Look  at  the  wounds  of  Christ,"  said  he,  "  and  you  will  there  see 
shining  clearly  the  purpose,  of  God  towards  man.  We  cannot 
understand  God  out  of  Christ.  '  In  Christ  you  will  see  what  I  am 
and  what  I  require,'  hath  the  Lord  said;  'you  will  not  see  it  else- 
where, either  in  heaven  or  on  earth.' " 

The  conscience  of  the  young  Augustiniau  did  not,  however,  find 
solid  repose  without  further  conflict.  His  health  at  last  sunk  under 
the  exertions  and  stretch  of  his  mind.  He  was  attacked  with  a 
malady  which  brought  him  to  the  gates  of  the  grave.  And  all  his 
anguish  and  terrors  returned  in  the  prospect  of  death.  His  own 
impurity  and  God's  holiness  again  disturbed  his  mind.  One  day 
(it  was  now  the  second  year  of  Luther's  abode  at  the  convent), 
when  he  was  overwhelmed  with  despair,  an  old  monk  entered  his 
cell,  and  spoke  kindly  to  him.  Luther  opened  his  heart  to  him,  and 
acquainted  him  with  the  fears  which  disquieted  him.  The  old  mau 
uttered  in  simplicity  this  article  of  the  Apostles'  Creed: — ''  I  believe 
in  the  forgiveness  of  sins."  These  simple  words,  ingenuously  recited 
at  a  critical  moment,  shed  sweet  consolation  in  the  mind  of  Luther. 


56  CONVEESION   OF 

"J  believe,"  repeated  he,  to  himself,  on  his  bed  of  suffering,  "  I 
believe  the  remission  of  sins."  *' Ah,"  said  the  monk,  "you  must 
not  only  believe  that  David's  or  Peter's  sins  are  forgiven:  the  devils 
believe  that.  The  cofnmandment  of  God  is,  that  all  men  believe 
that  sins»are  remitted  to  them." 

"  From  that  moment,"  says  D'Aubigne,  "  the  light  shone  into  the 
heart  of  the  young  monk  of  Erfurth.  The  word  of  grace  was  pro- 
nounced, and  he  believed  it.  He  renounced  the  thought  of  merit- 
ing salvation,  and  trusted  himself  with  confidence  to  God's  grace  in 
Christ  Jesus.  He  did  not  perceive  the  consequence  of  the  principle 
he  admitted;  he  was  still  sincerely  attached  to  the  church  of  Rome, 
and  yet  he  was  thenceforward  independent  of  it;  for  he  had  received 
salvation  from  God  himself,  and  Romish  Catholicism  was  virtually 
extinct  to  him.  From  that  hour,  Luther  went  forward;  he  sought 
in  the  writings  of  the  apostles  and  prophets,  for  all  that  might 
strengthen  the  hope  which  filled  his  heart.  Every  day  he  implored 
help  from  above,  and  every  day  new  light  was  imparted  to  his  soul." 

Bishop  Latimer. 

The  first  character  in  which  we  know  Hugh  Latimer,  is  that  of  a 
genial,  merry  lad.  He  had  followed  the  pursuits  of  a  yeoman's  life 
without  stain  of  vice  or  dishonor.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  was 
sent  to  the  University  of  Cambridge,  and  took  as  much  interest  in 
the  amusements  as  in  the  studies  of  the  place..  He  was  fond  of 
pleasure  and  of  cheerful  conversation,  and  mingled  frequently  in  the 
festivities  of  the  youthful  crowd  around  him.  At  what  age  the 
transition  took  place  from  light-heartedness  to  asceticism,  we  are 
not  aware  ;  but  he  was  still  young,  and  the  circumstances  have 
been  recorded.  When  Latimer  and  a  company  of  his  fellow-students 
were  dining  together,  one  of  the  party  exclaimed,  in  the  Latin  of 
the  V\ilgate  translation  of  Eccl.  iii.  12,  "  There  is  nothing  better 
than  to  be  merry  and  to  do  well."  "  A  vengeance  on  that  do  well .'" 
replied  a  monk  of  impudent  mien  ;  ''  I  wish  it  were  beyond  the  sea  ; 
it  mars  all  the  rest."  Young  Latimer  was  startled.  "  I  understand 
it  now,"  he  said  ;  "  that  will  be  a  heavy  do  well  to  these  monks 
when  they  have  to  render  God  an  account  of  their  lives."     For- 


EMINENT   PERSONS.  57 

saking  pleasure,  the  yeoman's  son  threw  himself,  heart  and  soul,  into 
the  practices  of  superstition,  and  became  distinguished  for  his  asceti- 
cism and  enthusiasm.  He  learned  to  attach  the  greatest  import- 
ance to  the  merest  trifles.  As  the  missal  directs  that  water  should 
be  mingled  with  the  sacramental  wine,  often  while  saying  mass  he 
would  be  troubled  in  his  conscience  for  fear  he  had  not  put  sufficient 
water.  And  this  fear  never  left  him  a  moment's  tranquillity  during 
the  service.  He  became  notorious  |or  his  ardent  fanaticism,  and  his 
zeal  was  rewarded  by  the  appointment  of  cross-bearer  to  the  univer- 
sity. And  in  this  capacity  he  was  conspicuous  for  seven  years, 
amidst  the  chanting  priests  and  splendid  shows  of  every  religious 
procession.  A  more  religious  man  than  he  was,  in  his  own  way, 
there  could  not  be  ;  not  Saul  of  Tarsus,  not  Luther  in  the  Augus- 
tinian  monastery,  not  Ignatius  Loyola. 

At  this  time  the  University  of  Cambridge  was  greatly  agitated  by 
the  publication  of  the  Greek  New  Testament,  with  a  Latin  transla- 
tion by  Erasmus.  And  there  was  no  one  to  whom  the  hopes  of  the 
enemies  of  this  book  looked  so  confidently  as  to  the  cross-bearer  of 
the  university.  This  young  priest  combined  a  biting  humor  with  an 
impetuous  disposition  and  indefatigable  zeal.  He  followed  the  friends 
of  the  word  of  God  into  the  colleges  and  houses  where  they  used  to 
meet,  debated  with  them,  and  pressed  them  to  abandon  their  faith. 
On  occasion  of  receiving  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Divinity,  he  had  to 
deliver  a  Latin  discourse  in  the  presence  of  the  university,  and  chose 
for  his  subject  "  Philip  Melanchthon  and  his  doctrines."  Latimer's 
discourse  produced  a  great  impression.  "  At  last,"  said  his  hearers, 
"  Cambridge  will  furnish  a  champion  for  the  church  that  will 
confront  the  Wittenberg  doctors  and  save  the  vessel  of  our 
Lord." 

Among  the  cross-bearer's  hearers  on  this  occasion  was  Thomas 
Bilney,  almost  hidden  through  his  small  stature.  Bilney  easily 
detected  Latimer's  sophisms,  but  at  the  same  time  loved  his  person, 
and  conceived  the  design  of  winning  him  to  what  he  believed  to  be 
the  truth.  He  reflected,  prayed,  and  at  last  planned  a  strange  plot. 
He  went  to  the  college  where  Latimer  resided.  "  For  the  love  of 
God,"  he  said,  "  be  pleased  to  hear  my  confession."  The  confessor 
expected  to  hear  a  recantation  of  Bilney's  new  doctrines.     My  dis- 

3* 


56 


CONVERSION   OF 


course  against  Melanclithon  lias  converted  him,  he  thought.  The 
pale  face  and  wasted  frame  and  humble  look  of  his  visitor  seemed  to 
indicate  that  he  would  still  be  one  of  the  ascetics  of  Rome.  And 
Latimer  at  once  yielded  to  his  request.  Bilney,  kneeling  before  his 
confessor,  told  him,  with  touching  sintplicity,  the  anguish  he  had 
once  felt  in  his  soul,  the  efforts  he  had  made  to  remove  it,  their 
unprofitableness,  and  the  peace  he  had  felt  when  he  believed  that 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  Lamb  of  G^d  that  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the 
world.  He  described  to  Latimer  the  Spirit  of  adoption  he  had 
received,  and  the  happiness  he  experienced  in  being  able  to  call 
God  his  Father.  Latimer  listened  without  mistrust.  His  heart  was 
opened,  and  the  voice  of  the  pious  Bilney  penetrated  it  without 
obstacle.  From  time  to  time  the  confessor  would  have  chased  away 
the  new  thoughts  which  came  crowding  into  his  bosom  ;  but  the 
penitent  continued.  His  language,  at  once  so  simple  and  so  lively, 
entered  like  a  two-edged  sword.  At  length  the  penitent  rose  up, 
but  Latimer  remained  seated,  absorbed  in  thought.  Like  Saul  on 
the  way  to  Damascus,  he  was  conquered,  and  his  conversion,  like 
the  apostle's,  was  instantaneous.  He  saw  Jesus  as  the  only  Saviour 
given  to  man  :  he  contemplated  and  adored  him.  His  zeal  for  the 
superstitions  of  his  fathers  he  now  regarded  as  a  war  against  God, 
and  he  wept  bitterly.  Bilney  consoled  him  :  "  Brother,  though 
your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  white  as  snow."  Latimer 
received  the  truth,  and  was  henceforward  a  changed  man.  His 
energy  was  tempered  by  a  divine  unction,  and  he  ceased  to  be  super- 
stitious. His  conversion,  as  of  old  the  miracles  of  the  apostles, 
struck  men's  minds  with  astonishment.  To  the  hour  of  his  martyr- 
dom he  proclaimed  Jesus  Christ  as  him  who,  having  tasted  death 
for  every  man,  has  delivered  his  people  from  the  penalty  of  sin. 
With  this  blessed  doctrine  Bilney  and  Latimer  explored  even  the 
gloomy  cells  of  the  mad-house  to  bear  the  sweet  voice  of  the  gospel 
to  the  infuriate  maniacs.  They  visited  the  miserable  lazar-house 
without  the  town,  in  which  several  poor  lepers  were  dwelling  ;  they 
carefully  tended  them,  wrapped  them  iu  clean  sheets,  and  wooed 
them  to  be  converted  to  Christ.  The  gates  of  the  jail  at  Cambridge 
were  opened  to  .them,  and  they  announced  to  the  poor  prisoners 
that  word  >vhich   giveth  liberty.     Before  princes  and  people  they 


EMINENT   PERSONS.  Ob* 

testified  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God.     And  many  years  after 
they  sealed  their  testimony  with  their  blood. 

The  Founder  of  the  Waldenses. 

Peter  Waldo  was  a  rich  merchant  of  Lyons,  in  the  12th  centu- 
ry, and  enjoyed  his  opulence  without  thoughts  of  a  hereafter,  till 
he  w^as  startled  out  of  his  pleasant  dreams  by  an  alarming  providence. 
One  evening,  as  he  sat  after  supper  with  his  friends,  one  of  the  party 
fell  lifeless  on  the  floor.  This  incident  reminded  him  of  his  own 
mortality,  and  made  so  powerful  an  impression  on  his  mind,  that  he 
resolved  to  abandon  all  other  concerns  and  occupy  himself  wholly 
with  the  concerns  of  religion.  Happily,  his  attention  was  drawn  to  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  and  he  resolved  to  know,  from  the  original  fountain 
itself,  the  way  of  life  and  salvation.  He  read  the  Vulgate  for  him- 
self, and,  in  addition,  employed  learned  men  to  translate  the  Gospels 
and  other  portions  of  the  Bible  into  the  Romance  language.  He 
thus  acquired  a  correct  idea  of  Christ's  gospel,  and  found  peace 
with  God.  Peter  Waldo  now  distributed  his  wealth  among  the  poor, 
and  proposed  to  form  a  spiritual  society  of  apostolicals — a  society 
for  the  spread  of  evangelical  truth  among  the  neglected  people  in 
city  and  country.  He  employed  for  this  purpose  multiplied  copies  of 
his  Romance  version  of  the  Scriptures,  which,  by  degrees,  was 
extended  to  the  whole  Bible.  He  and  his  companions  labored  with 
great  zeal,  and  without  any  thought,  at  first,  of  separating  them- 
selves from  the  Roman  communion,  but  simply  aiming  at  a  spi;:itual 
society,  like  many  others,  in  the  service  of  the  church  :  with  this 
difference — that,  while  other  founders  of  such  societies  were  ani- 
mated with  a  zeal  for  the  church,  and  its  laws  possessed  for  them  all 
the  force  of  truth  drawn  directly  from  the  word  of  God,  Peter 
Waldo,  on  the  other  hand,  was  influenced  more  by  the  truth  derived 
immediately  from  the  Scriptures.  But  an  influential  union  of  lay- 
men, associated  for  the  purpose  of  preaching  to  the  people — a 
union  which  made  the  Sacred  Scriptures  themselves  the-  source  of 
I'eligious  doctrine — could  not  long  escajje  opposition  and  persecu- 
tion. The  Archbishop  of  Lyons  forbade  Peter  Waldo  and  his  com- 
panions to  expound  the  Scriptures  and  to  preach.     But  they  did  not 


m)  OON VERSION   OF 

think  they  ought,  in  obedience  to  this  magisterial  decree,  to  desist 
from  a  calling  which  they  were  conscious  w^as  from  God.  They 
declared  that  they  were  bound  to  obey  God  rather  than  man,  and 
persevered  in  the  work  which  they  had  began.  The  anathema  of 
the  pope,  however,  soon  drove  Waldo  from  Lyons.  His  flock  were 
scattered,  and  "went  everywhere  preaching  the  word."  Many  of 
them  found  an  asylum  in  the  valleys  of  Piedmont,  where  they  took 
with  them  their  new  translation  of  the  Bible.  They  there  united 
with  others  of  the  same  faith,  and  are  known  in  history  as  the 
Waldenses,  or  Yaudois.  Waldo  himself,  after  many  wanderings, 
carrying  with  him  everywhere  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation,  settled 
at  length  in  Bohemia,  where  the  fruit  of  his  labors  was  seen, 
"  after  many  days,"  in  the  rapid  extension  throughout  that  country 
of  the  principles  of  the  Reformation,  and  wiiere,  in  the  fourteenth 
century,  as  many  as  eighty  thousand  persons  are  said  to  have  been 
put  to  death  "for  the  word  of  God,  and  for  the  testimony  which 
they  held."  That  sudden  death  in  the  house  and  presence  of  the 
rich  merchant  of  Lyons  was  indeed  a  fruitful  providence — the  occa- 
sion of  spiritual  benefits  and  moral  changes  which,  in  the  course  of 
centuries,  became  too  widely  spread  to  be  traced  or  numbered. 

John  Newton. 

The  pious'  mother  who  had  taught  John  Newton  to  bend  his 
infant  knee  before  the  throne  of  the  heavenly  grace  was  taken  from 
him  before  he  was  seven  years  old.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  had 
religious  convictions,  which  w^ere  soon  dissipated,  and  he  learned  to 
curse  and  blaspheme.  Upon  his  being  thrown  from  a  horse,  near  a 
dangerous  hedge-row,  his  conscience  suggested  to  him  the  dreadful 
consequences  of  appearing  as  he  was  before  God,  and  he  abandoned 
his  profane  practices  for  a  time — but  only  for  a  time  ;  and  the  con- 
sequence of  such  struggles  between  sin  and  conscience  w^as  that,  on 
every  relapse,  he  sank  into  still  greater  depths  of  wickedness. 

In  one  of  his  reformino^  moods,  Newton  became  a  Pharisee.  "  I 
did  everything  (he  says)  that  might  be  expected  from  a  person 
entirely  ignorant  of  God's  righteousness,  and  desirous  to  establish 
his  own.     I  spent  the  greatest  part  of  every  day  in  reading, the 


EMINENT   PERSONS.  61 

Scriptures,  and  in  meditation  and  prayer.  I  fasted  often  ;  I  even 
abstained  from  all  animal  food  for  three  months.  I  wonld  hardly 
answer  a  question  for  fear  of  speaking  an  idle  word." 

From  an  ascetic,  John  Newton  became  an  infidei. 

The  wickednesses  in  which  he  now  indulged  were  as  varied  as  his 
circumstances  permitted.     And  his  misery  was  complete. 

After  a  series  of  sins  and  sufferings,  we  find  him  on  the  coast  of 
Africa  in  the  employ  of  a  slave-dealer,  reduced  to  wants  which  made 
him  a  literal  representative  of  the  prodigal  son.  He  was  a  very 
outcast,  ready  to  perish.  But,  unlike  the  prodigal  in  our  Lord's 
parable,  his  distress  did  not  at  this  time  awaken  him  out  of  the  stu- 
por of  sin  to  say,  "  I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  Father." 

Unexpectedly  rescued  from  this  life  of  degradation,  it  was  only  to 
encounter  fresh  disaster  and  peril  at  sea.  He  was  regarded  as  a 
Jonah  on  board  the  ship  which  carried  him  from  off  the  coast  of 
Africa.  Though  not  ordinarily  addicted  to  drunkenness,  he  chal- 
lenged four  or  five  of  his  comrades  one  evening  to  try  who  could 
hold  out  longest  in  drinking  rum.  Dancing  on  the  deck  like  a  mad- 
man, his  hat  fell  overboard,  and,  seeing  the  ship's  boat  by  moonlight, 
he  endeavored  to  throw  himself  into  it  to  recover  his  hat.  His 
sight,  however,  had  deceived  him  :  the  boat  was  twenty  feet  from 
the  ship's  side.  He  was  half  overboard,  and  would  in  one  moment 
have  plunged  into  the  water  had  not  some  one  caught  hold  of  him 
and  pulled  him  back.  The  tide  ran  very  strong  at  the  time  ;  his 
companions  were  too  much  intoxicated  to  save  him,  and  the  rest  of 
the  ship's  company  were  asleep  ;  and  as  for  himself,  he  could  not 
swim  even  had  he  been  sober.  An  unseen  Providence  watched 
over  a  life  that  was  yet  to  be  made  a  blessing. 

Among  the  few  books  that  were  on  board  his  ship  was  "  Thomas 
a  Kempis."  Newton  took  it  up  carelessly  one  day,  as  he  had  often 
done  before  ;  but  now  the  thought  occurred  to  him,  "  What  if  these 
things  should  be  true  ?"  He  could  not  bear  the  force  of  the  infer- 
ence, and  shut  the  book.  He  went  to  bed  that  night  in  his  usual 
spiritual  indifference,  but  was  awaked  from  a  sound  sleep  by  a  violent 
sea,  which  broke  on  the  vessel  and  filled  the  cabin  where  he  lay  with 
water.  The  cry  arose  immediately  that  the  ship  was  sinking.  He 
essayed  to  go  on  deck,  but  was  met  upon  the  ladder  by  the  captain, 


G2  CONVEESION   OF 

who  desired  him  to  bring  a  kuife.  On  his  return  for  the  knife  an- 
' other  person  went  up  in  his  place,  and  wa«  instantly  washed  over- 
board. For  four  weeks  the  vessel,  an  almost  perfect  wreck,  was  at 
the  mercy  of  the  winds  and  waves.  While  holding  the  helm  at  the 
solemn  midnight  hour,  his  former  religious  professions,  his  many 
warnings  and  deliverances,  his  licentiousness,  his  profane  ridicule  of 
Holy  Scripture — all  rose  up  before  him,  and  his  sins  seemed  too 
great  to  be  forgiven.  He  waited  with  fear  and  impatience  to  receive 
his  inevitable  doom.  But  with  the  returning  hope  of  safety  there 
gleamed  into  his  soul  some  hope  towards  God.  He  began  to  pray. 
"  0  God,  save  me,  or  I  perish,''  was  the  cry  of  the  returning  prodi- 
gal. '*  The  God  of  the  Bible  forgive  me,  for  his  Son's  sake.''  *'  My 
mother's  God,  the  God  of  mercy,  have  mercy  on  me."  Before  reach- 
ing port  he  felt  he  had  satisfactory  evidence  of  the  truth  of  the  gos- 
pel, and  of  its  exact  suitableness  to  his  necessities.  He  saw  that 
"  God  might  declare  not  his  mercy  only,  but  his  justice  also,  in  the 
pardon  of  sin,  on  account  of  the  obedience  and  sufferings  of  Jesus 
Christ."  "  Till  then  he  was  like  the  man  possessed  with  the  kgion. 
No  arguments,  no  persuasion,  no  views  of  interest,  no  remembrance 
of  the  past  nor  regard  to  the  future,  could  restrain  him  within  the 
bounds  of  common  prudence  ;  but  now  he  was  restored  to  his 
senses."  He  had  yet  much  to  learn,  but  he  left  that  broken  ship  a 
new  man.  And  after  a  few  years  he  became  a  devoted  minister  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  one  of  the  most  useful  men  of  his  age.  The  storm 
was  in  this  instance  the  minister  of  Providence  to  arrest  a  godless 
youth,  and  to  give  to  Christ's  church  one  of  the  holiest  men  that 
have  ever  ministered  at  her  altar. 

John  Bunyan. 

John  Bunyan  was  brought  up  by  his  father  in  his  own  craft  of 
brazier  and  tinker.  As  to  his  early  character,  he  never  wjts  a  drunk- 
ard, a  libertine,  or  a  lover  of  sanguinary  sports  :  his  special  sins 
were  profanity,  Sabbath-breaking,  and  heart-atheism.  "  The  thing 
which  gave  Bunyan  any  notoriety  in  the  days  of  his  ungodliness,  and 
which  made  him  afterwards  appear  to  himself  such  a  monster  of  ini- 
quity, was  the  energy  which  he  put  into  all  his  doings.     He  had  a 


EMINENT  PEESONS.  63 

zeal  for  idle  play  and  an  enthusiasm  in  mischief  which  were  the  per- 
verse manifestations  of  a  forceful  character."  "Elstow,"  says  his 
biographer,  Dr.  Hamilton,  "  is  a  quiet  hamlet  of  some  fifty  houses 
sprinkled  about  in  the  picturesque  confusion  and  with  the  easy  am- 
plitude of  space  which  gives  an  old  English  village  its  look  of  leisure 
and  longevity.  And  it  is  now  verging  to  ihe  close  of  a  long  sum- 
mer's day.  The  daws  arc  taking  short  excursions  from  the  steeple, 
and  tamer  fowls  have  gone  home  from  the  darkening  and  dewy  green. 
But  old  Bunyan's  donkey  is  still  browsing  there,  and  yonder  is  old 
Bunyan's  self — the  brawny  tramper  dispread  on  the  settle,  retailing 
to  the  more  clownish  residents  tap-room  wit  and  roadside  news. 
However,  it  is  young  Bunyan  you  wish  to  see.  Yonder  he  is,  the 
noisiest  of  the  party,  playing  pitch-and-toss — that  one  with  the 
shaggy  eyebrows,  whose  entire  soul  is  ascending  in  the  twirling 
penny — grim  enough  to  be  the  blacksmith's  apprentice,  but  his  singed 
garments  hanging  round  him  with  a  lank  and  idle  freedom  which 
scorns  indentures  ;  his  energetic  movements  and  authoritative  vocife- 
rations at  once  bespeaking  the  ragamuffin  ringleader.  The  penny 
has  come  down  with  the  wrong  side  uppermost,  and  the  loud  execra- 
tion at  once  bewrays  young  Badman.  You  have  only  to  remember 
that  it  is  Sabbath  evening,  and  you  witness  a  scene  often  enacted  on 
Elstow  Green  two  hundred  years  ago."  "  The  only  restraining  influ- 
ence of  which  he  then  felt  the  power  was  terror.  His  days  were 
often  gloomy  through  forebodings  of  the  wrath  to  come  ;  and  his 
nights  were  scared  with  visions,  which  the  boisterous  diversions  and 
adventures  of  his  waking  day  could  not  always  dispel.  He  would 
dream  that  the  last  day  had  come,  and  that  the  quaking  earth  was 
opening  its  mouth  to  let  him  down  to  hell  ;  or  he  would  find  himself 
in  the  grasp  of  fiends  who  were  dragging  him  powerless  away." 

These  were  the  fears  of  childhood.  As  he  grew  older  he  grew 
harder.  He  experienced  some  remarkable  escapes  from  death,  but 
these  providences  neither  startled  nor  melted  him.  He  married  very 
early,  and  his  wife  was  the  daughter  of  a  godly  man.  Her  whole 
property  consisted  of  two  small  books,  *'  The  Plain  Man's  Pathway 
to  Heaven,"  and  the  "  Practice  of  Piety,"  which  her  father  had  left 
her  on  his  death-bed.  Young  Bunyan  read  these  books,  and  was 
often  told  by  his  wife  what  a  good  man  her  father  had  been.     The 


64  CONYERSION   OF 

consequence  was  that  he  felt  some  desire  to  reform  his  vicious  life, 
and  went  to  church  twice  a  day,  and  said  and  sang  as  others  did. 
He  became  at  the  same  time  so  overrun  with  the  spirit  of  supersti- 
tion, that  "  had  he  but  seen  a  priest,  though  never  so  sordid  and 
debauched  in  his  life,  his  spirit  would  fall  under  him,  and  he  could 
have  lain  down  at  the  feet  of  such  and  been  trampled  upon  bv  them; 
their  name,  their  garb  and  work,  did  so  intoxicate  and  bewitch  him." 
But  whilst  adoring  the  altar,  and  w^orshipping  the  surplice,  and 
deifying  the  individual  who  wore  it,  Bunyan  continued  to  curse  and 
blaspheme  and  spend  his  Sabbaths  in  the  same  riot  as  before. 

One  day,  however,  he  heard  a  sermon  on  the  sin  of  Sabbath- 
breaking,  and  it  haunted  his  conscience  throughout  the  day.  AYhen 
in  the  midst  of  the  excitement  of  that  afternoon's  diversions,  a  voice 
seemed  to  dart  from  heaven  into  his  soul,  "  Wilt  thou  leave  thy  sins 
and  go  to  heaven,  or  have  thy  sins  and  go  to  hell  ?"  His  arm,  which 
was  about  to  strike  a  ball,  was  arrested,  and,  looking  up  to  heaven, 
it  seemed  as  if  the  Lord  Jesus  was  looking  down  upon  him  in  remon- 
strance and  deep  displeasure,  and  at  the  same  time  the  conviction 
flashed  across  him  that  he  had  sinned  so  long  that  repentance  was 
now  too  late.  "  My  state  is  surely  miserable,''  he  thought  ;  "  mis- 
erable if  I  leave  my  sins,  and  but  miserable  if  I  follow  them.  I  can 
but  be  damned  ;  and  if  I  must  be  so,  I  had  as  good  be  damned  for 
many  sins  as  few,"  In  the  desperation  of  this  awful  conclusion  he  re- 
sumed the  game  ;  and  so  persuaded  w^as  he  that  heaven  was  forever 
forfeited,  that  for  some  time  after  he  made  it  his  deliberate  policy  to 
enjoy  the  pleasures  of  sin  as  rapidly  and  intensely  as  possible.  "For 
a  month  or  more  he  went  on  in  resolute  sinning,  only  grudging  that 
he  could  not  get  such  scope  as  the  madness  of  despair  solicited. 
When  one  day  standing  at  a  neighbor's  window,  cursing  and  swear- 
ing, and  '  playing  the  madman  after  his  wonted  manner,'  the  woman 
of  the  house  protested  that  he  made  her  tremble,  and  that  truly  he 
was  the  ungodliest  fellow  for  swearing  that  she  ever  heard  in  all  her 
life,  and  quite  enough  to  ruin  the  youth  of  the  whole  town.  The 
woman  was  herself  a  notoriously  worthless  character  ;  and  so  severe 
a  reproof  from  so  strange  a  quarter  had  a  singular  effect  on  Buuyan's 
mind.  He  was  silenced  in  a  moment.  He  blushed  before  the  God 
of  heaven  ;  and  as  he  there  stood  with  hanging  head,  he  wished  with 


EMINENT  PERSONS.  65 

all  his  heart  that  he  were  a  little  child  again,  that  his  father  might 
teach  him  to  speak  without  profanity;  for  he  thought  his  bad 
habit  so  inveterate  now,  that  reformation  was  out  of  the  ques- 
tion.'' 

So  it  was,  however,  that  from  that  instant  onward  Bunyan  ceased 
to  swear,  and  people  wondered  at  the  change.  Immediately  after 
this  circumstance,  interested  by  the  conversation  of  a  poor  man  who 
seemed  religious,  he  betook  himself  to  his  Bible,  and  t)egan  to  take 
pleasure  in  reading  the  historical  parts  of  it.  His  outward  life 
underwent  much  reformation.  His  own  account  of  himself  says  : 
"  I  did  set  the  commandments  before  me  for  my  way  to  heaven  ; 
which  commandments  I  also  did  strive  to  keep,  and,  as  I  thought, 
did  keep  them  pretty  well  sometimes,  and  then  I  should  have  com- 
fort ;  yet  now  and  then  should  break  one,  and  so  afflict  my  con- 
science ;  but  then  I  should  repent,  and  say  I  was  sorry  for  it,  and 
promise  God  to  do  better  next  time,  and  there  got  help  again  ;  for 
then  I  thought  I  pleased  God  as  well  as  any  man  in  England.  Thus 
I  continued  about  a  year  ;  all  which  time  our  neighbors  did  take 
me  to  be  a  very  godly  man,  a  new  and  religious  man,  and  did  mar- 
vel much  to  see  such  great  and  famous  alteration  in  my  life  and 
manners  ;  and,  indeed,  so  it  was,  though  I  knew  not  Christ,  nor 
grace,  nor  faith,  nor  hope  ;  for,  as  I  have  well  since  seen,  had  I  then 
died,  my  state  had  been  most  fearful.  But,  I  say,  my  neighbors 
were  amazed  at  this  my  great  conversion  from  prodigious  profane- 
ness  to  something  like  a  moral  life  ;  and  so  they  well  might,  for  this 
my  conversion  was  as  great  as  for  Tom  of  Bedlam  to  become  a  sober 
man.  Now  I  was,  as  they  said,  become  godly  ;  now  I  was  become 
a  right  honest  man.  But,  oh  !  when  I  understood  these  were  their 
words  and  opinions  of  me,  it  pleased  me  mighty  well.  For  though, 
as  yet,  I  was  nothing  but  a  poor  painted  hypocrite,  yet  I  loved  to 
be  talked  of  as  one  that  was  truly  godly." 

He  had  gone  to  Bedford  in  prosecution  of  his  calling  ;  when, 
passing  along  the  street,  he  noticed  a  few  poor  women  sitting  in  a 
doorway  and  talking  together.  He  listened  to  their  conversation. 
It  surprised  him  ;  for,  though  he  had  by  this  time  become  a  great 
talker  on  sacred  subjects,  their  themes  were  far  beyond  his  reach. 
God's  work  in  their  souls,  the  views  they  had  obtained  of  theif 


66  CONVERSION   OF 

natural  misery  and  of  God's  love  ia  Christ  Jesus,  what  words  and 
promises  '  had  particularly  refreshed  them  and  strengthened  them 
against  the  temptations  of  Satan — it  was  of  matters  so  personal  and 
vital  that  they  spoke  to  one  another.  They  seemed  to  Bunyan  as 
if  they  had  found  a  new  world.  Their  conversation  made  a  deep 
impression  on  his  mind.  lie  saw  that  there  was  something  in  real 
religion  into  which  he  had  not  yet  penetrated. 

What  John  Bunyan  heard  in  the  society  of  these  humble  instruc- 
tors suggested  to  him  a  sort  of  waking  vision.     "  I  saw  as  if  they 
were  on  the  sunny  side  of  some  high  mountain,  there  refreshing 
themselves  with  the  pleasant  beams  of  the  sun,  while  I  was  shiver- 
ing and  shrinking  in  the  cold,  afflicted  with  frost,  snow,  and  dark 
clouds.     Methought,  also,  betwixt  me  and  them,  I  saw  a  wall  that 
did  compass  about  this  mountain  ;  now,  through  this  wall  my  soul 
did  greatly  desire  to  pass,  concluding  that,  if  I  could,  I  would  even 
go  into  the  very  midst  of  them,  and  there  also  comfort  myself  with 
the  heat  of  their  sun.     About  this  wall  I  thought  myself  to  go  again 
and  again,  still  prying  as  I  went,  to  see  if  I  could  find  some  gap 
or  passage  to  enter  therein.     But  none  could  I  find  for  some  time. 
At  the  last  I  saw,  as  it  were,  a  narrow^  gap,  like  a  little  doorway  in 
the  wall,  through  which  I  attempted  to  pass.     Now,  the  passage 
being  very  straight  and  narrow,  I  made  many  offers  to  get  in,  but 
all  in  vain,  even  till  I  was  well  right  beat  out  in  striving  to  get  in. 
At  last,  with  great  striving,  methought   I  at  first  did  get  in  my 
head,  and  after  that,  by  a  sideling  striving,  my  shoulders  and  my 
whole  body.     Then  I  was  exceeding  glad  ;  went  and  sat  down  in  the  . 
midst  of  them,  and  so  was  comforted  with  the  light  and  heat  of  their 
sun.     Now,  this  mountain  and  wall  were  thus  made  out  to  me.     The 
mountain  signified  the  church  of  the  living  God  ;  the  sun  that  shone 
thereon,  the  comfortable  shining  of  his  merciful  face  on  them  that 
were  therein  ;  the  wall,  I  thought,  was  the  world,  that  did  make 
separation  between  the  Christian  and  the  world  ;  and  the  gap  which 
was  in  the  wall,  I  thought,  was  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the  way  to  God 
the   Father.      But   forasmuch  as  the  passage  was  wonderful  nar- 
row, even  so  narrow  that  I  could  not,  but  with  great  difficulty, 
enter  in  thereat,  it  showed  me  that  none  could  enter  into  life*but 
those  who  were  in  downright  earnest,  and  unless  they  left  that 


EMINENT  PERSONS.  67 

wicked  world  behind  them  ;  for  here  was  only  room  for-  body  and 
soul,  but  not  for  body  and  soul  and  sin/' 

But  he  now  fell  into  a  very  common  error.  The  object  to  which 
the  eye  of  an  inquiring  sinner  should  be  directed  is  Christ,  the 
finished  work,  and  the  sufQcient  Saviour.  But,  in  point  of  fact, 
many  go  in  quest  of  that  act  of  the  muid  which  unites  the  soul  to 
the  Saviour  and  makes  salvation  personal  ;  and  it  is  only  by  study- 
ing faith  that  they  come  at  last  to  an  indirect  and  circuitous  ac- 
quaintance with  Christ.  By  some  such  misdirection  Bunyan  was 
misled.  In  quest  of  faith  he  went  a  long  and  joyless  journey,  and 
was  wearied  with  the  greatness  of  the  way.  There  is  scarcely  a 
fear  which  can  assail  an  inquiring  spirit  which  did  not  at  some 
stage  of  his  progress  arrest  his  mind.  He  was  no  longer  a  proud 
Pharisee,  but  a  deeply  humbled  sinner.  "  My  original  and  inward 
pollution — that  was  my  plague  and  affliction.  That  I  saw  at  a 
dreadful  rate,  always  putting  forth  itself  within  me — that  I  had  the 
guilt  of  to  amazement  ;  by  reason  of  that  I  was  more  loathsome  in 
my  own  eyes  than  a  toad  ;  and  I  thought  I  was  so  in  God's  eyes 
too." 

Years  of  despondency  passed  over  him  before  lie  came  to  the  en- 
joyment of  the  peace  of  the  gospel. 

The  light  which  first  stole  in  upon  his  soul,  and  in  which  his  dark- 
ness finally  melted  away,  was  a  clear  discovery  of  the  person  of 
Christ,  more  especially  a  distinct  perception  of  the  diKspositions  which 
he  manifested  while  here  on  earth.  And  one  thing  greatly  helped 
him  :  he  alighted  on  a  congenial  mind,  and  an  experience  in  many 
respects  like  his  own.  Providence  threw  in  his  way  an  old  copy  of 
Luther's  Commentary  on  Galatians,  "  so  old,"  he  says,  "  that  it  was 
ready  to  fall  piece  from  piece  if  I  did  but  turn  it  over.  When  I  had 
but  a  little  way  perused  the  book,  I  found  my  condition  in  his  ex- 
perience so  largely  and  profoundly  handled,  as  if  his  book  had  been 
w^ritten  out  of  my  heart."  And  such  were  the  benefits  he  derived 
from  this  book,  that  he  preferred  it  ever  after  before  all  the  books 
he  had  ever  seen,  excepting  the  Holy  Bible,  ''  as  most  fit  for  a 
wounded  conscience."  His  happiness  was  now  as  intense  as  his 
misery  had  been.  He  wished  he  were  fourscore  years  old,  that  he 
might  die  quickly,  that  he  might  go  to  be  with  Him  who  had  made 


08  CONVERSION   OF 

bis  soul  an  offering  for  his  sins.  "  I  felt  love  to  him  as  hot  as  fire  ; 
and  now,  as  Job  said,  I  thought  I  should  die  in  my  nest."  But  an- 
other period  of  fearful  agony  awaited  him,  and,  like  the  last,  it  con- 
tinued for  a  year.  Tlae  trial  which  beset  him  was  a  truly  diabolical 
one.  "  It  was  to  sell  Christ,  to  exchange  him  for  the  things  of  this 
life,  for  anything."  And  those  words,  "  Sell  him,  sell  him,"  would 
be  impressed  upon  his  thoughts  an  hundred  times  running,  for  hours 
together,  and  that  during  a  succession  of  many  weeks.  It  may  well 
be  supposed  he  prayed  and  strove  against  this  temptation  ;  at  last 
he  found  nothing  so  much  relieve  him  as  answering  the  enemy  in 
his  own  way,  as  fast  as  his  temptations  were  repeated :  "  I  will  not, 
I  will  not,  I  will  not  !  no,  not  thousands,  thousands,  thousands, 
thousands  of  worlds  I"  At  length,  after  much  striving,  he  felt  the 
thought  pass  through  his  heart,  as  he  expresses  it,  "  Let  him  go  if  he 
will ;"  and  he  imagined  also  that,  for  the  moment,  it  had  his  free 
consent.  "  Now,"  says  our  author,  "  was  the  battle  won  ;  and  down 
fell  I,  as  a  bird  shot  from  the  top  of  a  tree,  into  great  guilt  and 
fearful  despair,"  and  thus  continued  until  he  was  relieved  with  that 
comfortable  word,  "  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  cleanseth  us  from  all 
sin." 

During  this  period  the  tempter,  he  tells  us,  w^ould  not  let  him  eat 
his  food  in  quiet  ;  but  "  forsooth,"  says  he,  "  when  I  v/as  set  at  my 
table  at  my  meat,  I  must  go  hence  to  pray  ;  I  must  leave  my  food 
now,  and  just  now  ;  so  counterfeit  holy  would  this  devil  be  !  When 
I  was  thus  tempted,  I  would  say  in  myself,  '  Now  I  am  at  my  meat 
let  me  make  an  end.'  '  No,'  said  he,  '  you  must  do  it  now,  or  you 
will  displease  God,  and  despise  Christ.' "  And  when  he  omitted  to 
obey  this  temptation,  his  conscience  smote  him,  as  if  he  had  refused 
to  leave  his  meat  for  God.  The  supposition  that  he  had  committed 
the  unpardonable  sin,  had  such  an  effect  on  Bunyan,  that  it  not  only 
distressed  his  mind,  but  affected  his  very  body  for  many  days  to- 
gether ;  and  produced  such  a  stoppage  and  heat  at  his  stomach,  as 
greatly  disordered  him.  Thus  his  mind  continued  for  weeks,  and 
months,  and  in  the  whole  for  years,  ''hanging"  (so  he  expresses  it) 
"  as  in  a  pair  of  scales  ;  sometimes  up  and  sometimes  down  :  now 
in  peace,  and  anon  again  in  terror." 

One  day,  as  he  was  passing  into  the  field,  these  words  fell  upon 


EMINENT  PERSONS.  69 

his  soul,  "  Thy  righteousness  is  in  heaven."  The  eyes  of  his  soul 
saw  at  the  same  time  Jesus  Christ  at  God's  right  hand,  and  there 
he  said,  is  my  righteousness.  "  I  saw,  moreover,  that  it  was  not 
my  good  frame  of  heart  that  made  my  righteousness  better,  nor  my 
bad  frame  that  made  my  righteousness  worse  ;  for  my  righteousness 
was  Jesus  Christ  himself,  '  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever.' " 
Now  was  he  loosed  from  his  afflictions  and  his  irons  ;  his  tempta- 
tions also  fled  away,  and  he  went  home  rejoicing  for  the  grace  and 
love  of  God.  The  words,  "  Thy  righteousness  is  in  heaven,"  were 
not  to  be  found  in  the  Bible,  but  then  there  were  these  :  "  He  is 
made  of  God  unto  us  wisdom,  and  righteousness,  and  sanctification, 
and  redemption."  This  blessed  truth  was  his  peace  with  God.  He 
was  complete  in  Christ  Jesus  ;  and,  though  sometimes  interrupted 
by  disquieting  thoughts  and  strong  temptations,  his  subsequent 
career  was  one  of  growing  comfort  and  prevailing  peace. 

Colonel  Gardiner. 

James  Gardiner  was  born  in  the  year  of  the  English  Revolution 
— 1568.  Such  was  his  reckless  daring  that  he  had  fought  three 
duels  before  he  attained  to  the  stature  of  a  man.  In  the  first  of  his 
country's  battles  in  which  he  was  engaged,  he  was  left  among  the 
wounded  on  the  field  of  action,  and  his  conduct  in  this  melancholy 
position,  shows  how  godless  and  hardened  his  heart  was.  He  was 
now  in  the  nineteenth  year  of  his  age.  His  life  had  already  been 
steeped  in  licentiousness,  but  he  had  no  thoughts  of  repentance  ;  his 
one  concern  was  how  to  secure  the  gold  which  he  had  about  him. 
Expecting  to  be  stripped  by  the  enemy,  he  took  a  handful  of  clotted 
gore,  placed  his  gold  in  the  midst  of  it,  shut  his  hand,  and  kept  it 
in  that  position  till  the  blood  so  dried  and  hardened  that  his  hand 
would  not  easily  fall  open  if  any  sudden  surprise  overtook  him. 
The  next  morning  he  lay  faint  and  exhausted,  through  loss  of  blood, 
and  overheard  one  Frenchman  say  to  another,  "  Do  not  kill  that 
poor  child."  And  when  he  was  able  to  open  his  fevered  lips,  the 
first  thing  he  did  was  to  tell  a  deliberate  falsehood,  namely,  that  he 
was  nephew  to  the  governor  of  Huy,  a  neutral  town  in  the  neigh- 
borhood.    His  sufferings  the  following  night  were  such  that  he 


YO  CONVERSION   OF 

begged  those  who  were  carrying  him  to  Iluy  to  kill  him  outright  ; 
but  still  he  had  no  thoughts  of  God.  And  when  his  recovery  was 
perfected,  and  he  was  restored  to  his  country,  it  was  only  to  plunge 
into  all  manner  of  excesses.  The  most  criminal  intrigues  formed  the 
staple  of  his  existence  from  this  period  till  the  thirtieth  year  of  his 
age.  By  his  military  companions  he  was  called  "  the  happy  rake." 
But  he  was  not  happy.  On  one  occasion,  while  his  profligate  asso- 
ciates were  congratulating  him  on  his  criminal  successes,  a  dog  hap- 
pened to  enter  the  room,  and  the  young  soldier  (as  he  well  remem- 
bered afterwards)  could  not  forbear  groaning  inwardly,  "  Oh  that 
I  were  that  dog  !" 

Towards  the  middle  of  July,  1*119,  he  spent  an  evening  of  folly 
with  some  of  his  gay  associates.  The  company  broke  up  about 
eleven,  and  at  twelve  he  had  made  a  criminal  appointment.  The 
intervening  hour  must  be  bridged  over  by  some  employment.  A 
pious  mother  had,  without  his  knowledge,  slipped  into  his  portman- 
teau, Watson's  "  Christian  Soldier,  or  Heaven  taken  by  Storm." 
The  title  attracted  him,  and  he  expected  some  amusement  from  its 
military  phraseology.  He  took  it  and  read,  but  it  produced  no 
seriousness  nor  reflection.  While  the  book  was  yet  in  his  hand, 
however,  impressions  were  made  on  his  mind,  the  fruit  of  which 
must  be  regarded  as  the  best  index  to  whence  they  came.  Whether 
he  was  asleep  or  awake  at  the  time,  he  felt  it  afterwards  difficult  to 
determine.  But  if  asleep,  so  vividly  was  what  he  saw  and  heard 
impressed  on  his  mind,  that  it  seemed  to  be  a  waking  reality.  "  He 
thought  he  saw  an  unusual  blaze  of  light  fall  on  the  book  while  he- 
was  reading,  which  he  at  first  imagined  might  happen  by  some  acci- 
dent in  the  candle.  But,  lifting  up  his  eyes,  he  apprehended,  to  his 
extreme  amazement,  that  there  was  before  him,  as  it  were,  sus- 
pended in  the  air,  a  visible  representation  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
upon  the  cross,  surrounded  on  all  sides  with  a  glory;  and  was 
impressed,  as  if  a  voice,  or  something  equivalent  to  a  voice,  had 
come  to  him  to  this  effect,  '  0  sinner!  did  I  suffer  this  for  thee  ? 
and  are  these  the  returns  V  "  Affected  as  were  Daniel  and  John  by 
the  supernatural  visions  they  saw,  ''there  remained  hardly  any  life" 
in  Colonel  Gardiner,  and  he  continued,  he  knew  not  how  long,  insen- 
sible ;  but  when  he  opened  his  eyes  he  saw  nothing  more  than  usual 


EMINENT   PERSONS.  71 

The  dreamer  arose  from  his  seat,  after  a  period  of  uuconseious- 
ness,  and  walked  to  and  fro  in  his  chamber  under  a  tumult  of  emo- 
tions, till  he  was  ready  to  drop  down  in  unutterable  astonishment 
and  agouj  of  heart,  appearing  to  himself  the  vilest  monster  in  the 
creation  of  God,  who  had  all  his  lifetime  been  crucifying  Christ 
afresh  by  his  sins.  With  this  was  connected  such  a  view,  both  of 
the  majesty  and  goodness  of  God,  as  caused  him  to  loathe  and 
abhor  himself,  and  to  repent  as  in  dust  and  ashes.  He  immediately 
gave  judgment  against  himself,  that  he  w^as  most  justly  worthy  of 
eternal  damnation,  and  was  astonished  that  he  had  not  been  imme- 
diately struck  dead  in  the  midst  of  his  wickedness.  For  several 
months  after,  it  was  a  settled  point  with  him  that  the  wisdom  and 
justice  of  God  almost  necessa.rily  required  that  such  an  enormous 
sinner  should  be  made  an  example  of  everlasting  vengeance,  and  he 
dared  hardly  ask  for  pardon.  His  mental  sufferings  were  now 
extreme,  but  he  often  testified  afterwards  that  they  arose  not  so 
much  from  the  fear  of  hell  "  as  from  a  sense  of  that  horrible  ingra- 
titude he  had  shown  to  the  God  of  his  life,  and  to  that  blessed 
Redeemer  who  had  been  in  so  affecting  a  manner  set  forth  as  cru- 
cified before  him."  Those  licentious  pleasures  which  had  before 
been  his  heaven  became  now  absolutely  his  aversion.  "And, 
indeed,"  says  his  biographer,  ''w^hen  I  consider  how  habitual  all 
those  criminal  indulgences  were  grown  to  him,  and  that  he  was  now 
in  the  prime  of  life,  and  all  this  while  in  high  health  too,  I  can- 
not but  be  astonished  to  reflect  upon  it,  that  he  should  be  so  won- 
derfully sanctified  in  body,  as  well  as  in  soul  and  spirit,  as  that,  for 
all  the  future  years  of  his  life,  he,  from  that  hour,  should  find  so 
constant  a  disinclination  to  and  abhorrence  of  those  criminal  sensu- 
alities to  which  he  fancied  he  was  before  so  invariably  impelled  by 
his  very  constitution,  that  he  was  used  strangely  to  think  and  to 
say  that  Omnipotence  itself  could  not  reform  him  without  destroy- 
ing that  body  and  giving  him  another." 

At  length,  the  heavy  burden  fell  from  off  this  weary  pilgrim,  as 
from  others,  when  he  saw  the  cross.  His  peace  came  by  means  of 
that  memorable  Scripture — "Whom  God  hath  set  forth  to  be  a 
propitiation  through  faith  in  his  blood,  to  declare  his  righteousness 
for  the  remission  of  sins ;  that  he  might  be  just,  and  the  justifier  of 


72  CONVEKSION   OF 

him  which  beheveth  in  Jesus."  Rom.  iii.  25,  26.  He  had  used 
to  imagine  that  the  justice  of  God  required  his  eternal  death.  But 
now  he  saw  that  the  divine  justice  might  be  vindicated,  and  even 
glorified,  in  saving  him  by  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ.  "  Then  did 
he  see  and  feel  the  riches  of  redeeming  love  and  grace  in  such  a 
manner  as  not  only  engaged  him,  with  the  utmost  pleasure  and  con- 
fidence, to  venture  his  soul  upon  it,  but  even  swallowed  up,  as  it 
were,  his  whole  heart  in  the  returns  of  love,  which,  from  that 
blessed  time,  became  the  genuine  and  delightful  principle  of  his 
obedience,  and  animated  him  with  an  enlarged  heart  to  run  in  the 
way  of  God's  commandments."  The  future  life  of  Colonel  Gardiner, 
from  the  hour  of  his  conversion  till  he  fell  at  Preston-Pans,  in  de- 
fence of  the  House  of  Hanover — a  period  of  twenty-six  years — 
was  one  of  distinguished  excellence.  The  "  new  man  "  was  virtuous 
and  pure  and  godly  as  the  "  old"  had  been  licentious  and  profane. 

The   Experience   of   President   Edwards. 

"  As  the  shining  light,  that  shineth  more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day." 

When  I  was  a  boy,  some  years  before  I  went  to  college,  at  a  time 
of  remarkable  awakening  in  my  father's  congregation,  I  was  very 
much  affected  for  many  months,  and  concerned  about  the  things  of 
religion  and  my  soul's  salvation,  and  was  abundant  in  religious 
duties.  My  affections  were  lively  and  easily  moved,  and  I  seemed 
to  be  in  my  element  when  engaged  in  religious  duties.  But  in  pro- 
cess of  time  my  convictions  and  affections  wore  off,  and  I  returned, 
like  a  dog  to  his  vomit,  and  went  on  in  the  ways  of  sin.  But  God 
would  not  suffer  me  to  go  on  with  any  quietness  ;  I  had  great  and 
violent  inward  struggles,  till  I  was  brought  wholly  to  break  off  all 
former  wicked  ways,  and  all  ways  of  known  outward  sin,  and  to 
apply  myself  to  seek  salvation.  I  was  indeed  brought  to  seek  sal- 
vation in  a  manner  that  I  n^ver  was  before  ;  I  felt  a  spirit  to  part 
with  all  things  in  the  world  for  an  interest  in  Christ.  My  concern 
continued  and  prevailed,  with  many  exercising  thoughts  and  inward 
struggles  ;  but  yet  it  never  seemed  to  be  proper  to  express  that 
concern  by  the  name  of  terror. 


EMINENT  PERSONS.  73 

From  my  childhood  up,  my  mind  had  been  full  of  objections 
against  the  doctrine  of  God's  sovereignty.  But  I  remember  the 
time  very  well  when  I  seemed  to  be  convinced  and  fully  satisfied  as 
to  this  sovereignty  ;  yet  I  never  could  give  an  account  how  or  by 
what  means  I  was  thus  convinced,  not  in  the  least  imagining  at  the 
time,  nor  a  long  time  after,  that  there  was  any  extraordinary  influ- 
ence of  God's  spirit  in  it  ;  only  that  now  I  saw  further,  and  my 
reason  apprehended  the  justice  and  reasonableness  of  it.  But  I  have 
often,  since  that  first  conviction,  had  quite  another  kind  of  sense  of  it 
than  I  had  then.  I  have  often  since  had  not  only  a  convictiou,  but  a 
delightful  conviction.  The  doctrine  has  very  often  appeared  exceed- 
ingly pleasant,  bright  and  sweet ;  but  my  first  conviction  was  not  so. 

The  first  instance  that  I  remember  of  that  sort  of  inward,  sweet 
delight  in  God  and  divine  things  that  I  have  lived  much  in  since, 
was  on  reading  those  words  :  "  Now,  unto  the  King  eternal,  immor- 
tal, invisible,  the  only  wise  God,  be  honor  and  glory  for  ever  and 
ever.  Amen."  1  Tim.  i.  It.  As  I  read  the  words  there  came 
into  my  soul,  and  was,  as  it  were,  diffused  through  it,  a  sense  of  the 
glory  of  the  Divine  Being — a  new  sense,  quite  difi"erent  from  any- 
thing I  ever  experienced  before.  Never  any  words  of  Scripture 
seemed  to  me  as  these  words  did.  I  thought  within  myself  how 
excellent  a  Being  that  was,  and  how  happy  I  should  be  if  I  might 
enjoy  that  God,  and  be  wrapt  up  to  him  in  heaven,  and  be,  as  it 
were,  swallowed  up  in  him  for  ever  I  I  kept  saying  over  these 
words  of  Scripture  to  myself,  and  went  to  pray  to  God  that  I  might 
enjoy  him,  and  prayed  in  a  manner  quite  different  from  what  I  used 
to  do,  with  a  new  sort  of  affection.  But  it  never  came  into  my 
thoughts  that  there  was  anything  spiritual  or  of  a  saving  nature 
in  this. 

From  about  that  time  I  began  to  have  a  new  kind  of  apprehen- 
sion and  idea  of  Christ,  and  the  work  of  redemption  and  the  glorious 
way  of  salvation  by  him.  An  inward,  sweet  sense  of  these  things 
at  times  came  into  my  heart,  and  my  soul  was  led  away  in  pleasant 
views  and  contemplations  of  them.  This  I  know  not  how  to  express 
otherwise  than  by  a  calm,  delightful  abstraction  of  the  soul  from  all 
the  concerns  of  this  world  ;  and  sometimes  a  kind  of  vision,  or  fixed 
ideas  and  imaginations  of  being  alone  in  the  mountains  or  some  soli- 

4 


74  CONVEKSION   OF 

tary  wilderness,  far  from  all  mankind,  sweetly  conversing  with 
Christ,  and  wrapt  and  swallowed  up  in  God.  The  sense  I  had  of 
divine  things  would  often  of  a  sudden  kindle  up  an  ardor  in  my  soul 
that  I  know  not  how  to  express.  As  I  was  walking,  and  looking  up 
on  the  sky  and  clouds,  there  came  into  my  mind  a  sweet  sense  of  the 
glorious  majesty  and  grace  of  God,  that  I  know  not  how  to  express. 
I  seemed  to  see  them  both  in  a  sweet  conjunction  ;  majesty  and 
meekness  joined  together  ;  it  was  a  sweet,  and  gentle,  and  holy 
majesty  ;  and  also  a  majestic  meekness — a  high,  great  and  holy 
gentleness. 

After  this,  my  sense  of  divine  things  gradually  increased,  and 
became  more  and  more  lively,  and  had  more  of  that  inward  sweet- 
ness. The  appearance  of  everything  was  altered  ;  there  seemed  to 
be,  as  it  were,  a  calm,  beautiful  appearance  of  divine  glory  in  almost 
everything.  God's  excellency,  his  wisdom,  his  purity  and  love 
seemed  to  appear  in  everything ;  in  the  sun,  moon  and  stars  ;  in  the 
clouds  and  blue  sky  ;  in  the  grass,  flowers  and  trees  ;  in  the  water 
and  all  nature,  which  used  greatly  to  fix  my  mind.  Scarcely  any- 
thing, among  all  the  works  of  nature,  was  so  delightful  to  me  as 
thunder  and  lightning  ;  formerly,  nothing  had  been  so  terrible  to 
me.  Before,  I  used  to  be  uncommonly  terrified  with  thunder,  and 
to  be  struck  with  terror  when  I  saw  a  thunder-storm  rising  ;  but 
now,  on  the  contrary,  it  rejoiced  me. 

I  felt  then  great  satisfaction  as  to  my  good  state  ;  but  that  did 
not  content  me.  I  had  vehement  longings  of  soul  after  God  and 
Christ,  and  after  more  holiness,  wherewith  my  heart  seemed  to  be 
full,  and  ready  to  break,  which  often  brought  to  my  mind  the  words 
of  the  psalmist :  "  My  soul  breaketh  for  the  longing  it  hath." 
Ps.  cxix.  28.  I  spent  most  of  my  time  in  thinking  of  divine  things. 
I  was  almost  constantly  in  ejaculatory  prayer  wherever  I  was. 
Prayer  seemed  to  be  natural  to  me,  as  the  breath  by  which  the 
inward  burnings  of  my  heart  had  vent. 

My  sense  of  divine  things  seemed  gradually  to  increase  for  about 
a  year  and  a  half,  when  I  went  to  preach  at  New  York,  and  whil« 
I  was  there,  I  felt  them  vei-y  sensibly  in  a  much  higher  degree  tha» 
before.     My  longings  after  God  and  holiness  were  much  increased. 
I  felt  an  ardent  desire  to  be  in  everything  a  complete  Christian,  and 


EMINENT    PERSONS.  75 

conformed  to  the  blessed  image  of  Christ.  I  now  sought  an  increase 
of  grace  and  holiness,  and  a  holy  life,  with  much  more  earnestness  than 
ever  I  sought  grace  lefore  I  had  it.  I  used  to  be  continually  examin- 
ing myself,  and  studying  and  contriving  for  likely  ways  and  means 
how  I  should  live  holily,  with  far  greater  diligence  and  earnestness 
than  ever  I  pursued  anything  in  my  life,  but  yet  with  too  great  a 
dependence  on  my  own  strength,  which  afterwards  proved  a  great 
damage  to  me. 

There  was  no  part  of  creature  holiness  of  which  I  had  so  great  a 
sense  of  its  loveliness  as  humility,  brokenness  of  heart,  and  poverty 
of  spirit,  and  there  was  nothing  that  I  so  earnestly  longed  for.  My 
heart  panted  after  this  ;  to  He  low  before  God,  as  in  the  dust ;  that 
I  might  be  nothing,  and  that  God  might  be  all  ;  tha.t  I  might 
jecome  as  a  little  child.  My  heart  was  knit  in  affection  to  those  in 
,fhom  were  appearances  of  true  piety  ;  and  I  could  bear  the 
thoughts  of  no  other  companions  but  such  as  were  holy,  and  the 
disciples  of  the  blessed  Jesus.  I  had  great  longings  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  Christ's  kingdom  in  the  world,  and  my  secret  prayer 
used  to  be,  in  great  part,  taken  up  in  praying  for  it.  If  I  heard 
the  least  hint  of  anything  that  happened,  in  any  part  of  the  world, 
that  appeared,  in  some  respect  or  other,  to  have  a  favorable  aspect 
on  the  interests  of  Christ's  kingdom,  my  soul  eagerly  seized  upon  it, 
a,nd  it  would  much  animate  and  refresh  me.  I  used  to  be  eager  to 
read  public  newspapers,  mainly  for  that  end,  to  see  if  I  could  not 
find  some  news  favorable  to  the  interests  of  religion  in  the  world. 

I  had  then,  and  at  other  times,  the  greatest  delight  in  the 
holy  Scriptures  of  any  book  whatsoever.  Oftentimes,  in  reading  it, 
every  word  seemed  to  touch  my  heart.  I  felt  a  harmony  between 
something  in  my  heart  and  those  sweet  and  powerful  words.  I 
seemed  often  to  see  so  much  light  exhibited  by  every  sentence, 
and  such  a  refreshing  food  communicated,  that  I  could  not  get 
along  in  reading  ;  often  dwelling  long  on  one  sentence,  to  see  the 
wonders  contained  in  it  ;  and  yet  almost  every  sentence  seemed  to 
be  full  of  wonders. 

The  holiness  of  God  has  always  appeared  to  me  the  most  lovely 
of  all  his  attributes.  The  doctrines  of  God's  sovereignty  and  free 
grace,  in  showing  "  mercy  to  whom  he  would  show  mercy,"  and 


76 


CONYEESION   OF 


man's  absolute  dependence  on  the  operations  of  God's  Holy  Spirit, 
have  very  often  appeared  to  me  as  sweet  and  glorious  doctrines. 
These  doctrines  have  been  much  my  delight.  God's  sovereignty  has 
ever  appeared  to  me  a  great  part  of  his  glory.  It  has  often  been 
my  delight  to  approach  God,  and  adore  him  as  a  sovereign  God,  and 
ask  sovereign  mercy  of  him. 

I  have  loved  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel ;  they  have  been  to  my 
soul  like  green  pastures.  The  Gospel  has  seemed  to  me  the  richest 
treasure,  the  treasure  that  I  have  most  desired,  and  longed  that 
it  might  dwell  richly  in  me.  The  way  of  salvation  by  Christ  has 
appeared  glorious  and  excellent,  most  pleasant  and  most  beautiful. 
It  has  often  seemed  to  me  that  it  would  in  a  great  measure  spoil 
heaven  to  receive  it  in  any  other  way. 

Conversion  of  Rev.  John  Summerfield. 

It  was  in  the  year  1817  that  he  was  brought  to  reflect  seriously 
on  his  past  life  and  on  the  conduct  he  was  then  pursuing.  He  saw 
clearly  that  he  was  the  cause  of  the  distress  to  which  his  father  was 
reduced  ;  and  his  own  prospects  in  life  appeared  at  the  same  time 
awfully  gloomy  :  these  reflections  had  a  dreadful  effect  upon  his 
mind,  and  he  experienced  lashings  of  conscience  too  terrible  for 
endurance.  Instead  of  seeking  and  finding  relief  in  prayer,  he  felt 
himself  a  reprobate  before  God,. and  was  more  than  once  tempted  to 
commit  suicide.  He  found  no  resting-place  amid  the  "  mire  and 
clay,"  into  which  Satan  had  brought  his  feet,  and  saw  no  escape 
from  the  "  horrible  pit "  of  his  own  despair. 

In  this  state  of  mental  agony,  he  was  one  day  wandering  about  in 
the  streets  of  Dublin,  weeping  bitterly,  when  he  was  noticed  and 
accosted  by  a  pious  man,  by  trade  an  edge-tool  maker,  who,  with  the 
tact  of  a  Methodist  and  the  simplicity  of  a  saint,  ascertained  his 
state  and  endeavored  to  comfort  him  ;  at  the  same  time  inviting 
him  to  his  house,  where  he  was  about  to  hold  a  prayer-meeting. 
The  party  assembled  consisted  chiefly  of  soldiers  from  the  barracks  ; 
prayer  was  offered  by  different  persons  in  turn,  and  the  case  of  the 
visitor  was  specially  presented  before  Him  with  whom  "  the  effectual 
fervent  prayer  of  a  righteous  man  availeth  much  ;"  and  such  was  the 


EMINENT   PERSONS.  77 

fervor  of  the  good  leader  and  the  soldiers,  and  so  sincere  the  con- 
trition and  supplication  of  the  penitent,  that  he  that  Tcrj  night 
found  peace  to  his  soul. 

Having  found  such  a  blessing  among  these  poor  soldiers,  he 
became  much  attached  to  them,  and  resolved  to  make  them  some 
return  of  kindness  for  what  they  had  done  for  him.  On  inquiry,  he 
ascertained  that  their  situation  at  the  barracks  was  by  no  means 
comfortable,  they  being  perpetually  ridiculed  and  insulted  by  wicked 
men  in  the  regiment.  Hearing  this,  he  was  determined  to  relieve 
them  if  possible — for  on  his  visits  he  found  their  comrades  as  bad  as 
they  had  been  described — utterers  of  profane  sarcasms  and  revilers 
of  all  religion.  He  commenced  his  work  of  reformation  by  relating 
entertaining  anecdotes,  and  endeavoring  by  every  means  to  make  his 
company  agreeable  to  them.  In  this  he  succeeded  ;  and  in  time,  as 
his  visits  became  frequent  and  acceptable,  he  began  to  check  their 
swearing  and  other  improper  language.  He  would  even  occasionally 
condescend  to  assist  them  in  little  matters,  as  pipe-claying  their 
belts,  etc.  At  length,  he  so  far  gained  their  respect  and  established 
his  own  influence,  that  no  improper  language  was  ever  allowed 
or  used  in  his  presence  ;  and  if  anything  wrong  happened  to  be 
going  on  at  the  time  of  his  visit,  the  moment  that  he  entered  the 
yard,  some  one  would  give  the  signal,  "  He's  coming,"  and  presently 
all  became  order  and  regularity.  He  next  got  them  to  attend 
to  reading  the  Bible,  held  regular  prayer-meetings  among  them,  and 
exhorted  them  to  seek  the  Lord.  The  number  of  serious  persons 
among  the  soldiers  increased  daily,  and  his  plan  prospered  more 
and  more,  until,  to  his  great  regret,  the  regiment  was  removed. 
He  commenced  preaching  in  1818,  and  continued  in  most  abundant 
and  distinguished  evangelical  labors  until  1825,  when  he  was  cut 
off  in  the  morning  of  his  promise,  at  the  age  of  21. 

Conversion  of  Rev.  C.  H.  Spurgeon. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  hour  when  I  hope  God's  mercy  first  looked 
on  me.  It  was  in  a  place  very  different  from  this,  among  a  despised 
people,  in  an  insignificant  little  chapel,  of  a  peculiar  sect.  I  went 
there  bowed  down  with  guilt,  laden  with  transgression.     The  minis- 


78  CONTERSION   OF 

ter  walked  up  the  pulpit  stairs,  opened  his  Bible,  and  read  that  pre- 
cious text :  "  Look  unto  me,  and  be  ye  saved,  all  the  ends  of  the 
earth  ;  for  I  am  God,  and  beside  me  there  is  none  else  ;"  and,  as  I 
thought,  fixing  his  eyes  on  me,  before  he  began  to  preach  to  others, 
he  said  :  "  Young  man  1  look  !  look  !  look  !  You  are  one  of  the 
ends  of  the  earth  ;  you  feel  you  are  ;  you  know  your  need  of  a 
Saviour  ;  you  are  trembling  because  you  think  he  will  never  save 
you.  He  says  this  morning,  'Look!'  "  0  how  my  soul  was  shaken 
within  me  then  !  What  1  thought  I,  does  that  man  know  me,  and 
all  about  me  ?  He  seemed  as  if  he  did.  And  it  made  me  "  look  !" 
Well,  I  thought,  lost  or  saved,  I  will  try  ;  sink  or  swim,  I  will  run 
the  risk  of  it  ;  and  in  that  moment  I  hope  by  his  grace  I  looked 
upon  Jesus,  and  though  desponding,  downcast,  and  ready  to  despair, 
and  feeling  that  I  could  rather  die  than  live  as  I  had  lived,  at  that 
very  moment  it  seemed  as  if  a  young  heaven  had  had  its  birth  within 
my  conscience.  I  went  home,  no  more  cast  down  ;  those  about  me, 
noticing  the  change,  asked  me  why  I  was  so  glad,  and  I  told  them 
I  had  believed  in  Jesus,  and  that  it  was  written,  "There  is  there- 
fore now  no  condemnation  to  them  that  are  in  Christ  Jesus,  who 
walk  not  after  the  flesh,  but  after  the  Spirit." 

"Nelson  on  Infidelity." 

The  author  of  this  striking  work,  which  has  been  blessed  in  bring- 
iue:  scores  of  infidels  to  Christ,  and  of  which  not  far  from  100,000 
copies  have  been  circulated,  was  eminent  as  an  intelligent  infidel 
physician,  and  then  as  an  able  minister  of  Christ.  He  loved  much, 
for  he  had  much  forgiven. 

At  twelve  he  thought  himself  converted,  and  soon  entered  Wash- 
ington College,  near  his  father's  residence,  at  which  he  graduated 
at  sixteen,  when  he  proceeded  to  Danville,  Kentucky,  where  his  elder 
brother  was  then  settled  in  the  ministry,  and  entered  on  the  study 
of  medicine  with  the  celebrated  Dr.  Ephraim  McDowell. 

In  the  pursuit  of  medical  science,  while  infidelity  swayed  the 
higher  circles,  and  the  works  of  Volney,  Voltaire,  and  Paine  were 
in  high  repute,  Dr.  Nelson — like  many  who  in  early  life  obtained  a 
false  hope  of  their  conversion — was  led  to  believe  that  he  had  been 


EMINENT   PEESONS.  79 

self-deceived,  and  that  all  religion,  and  the  Bible  itself,  was  a  delu- 
sion. 

The  wonderful  processes  of  his  mind  in  giving  up  this  infidelity,  by 
reluctantly  detecting  the  dishonesty  and  unfairness  of  Voltaire  and 
other  infidel  writers,  and  by  a  patient,  intelligent  examination  of 
the  whole  subject  in  his  own  heart,  in  the  lives  and  conduct  of 
believers  and  unbelievers,  in  practical  writings,  and  especially  in  the 
word  of  God,  form  perhaps  the  most  interesting  portion  of  his  now 
celebrated  work.  It  is  hard  for  any  reader  to  question  his  sincerity, 
the  stern  integrity,  patience,  and  thoroughness  of  his  investigation, 
or  doubt  that  he  was  led  by  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  true  and  right 
way. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-five  he  joined  the  Presbyterian  church,  of 
which  his  father  was  an  elder,  deploring  his  long  rejection  of  the 
Saviour  he  now  delighted  to  honor,  and  resolving  to  redeem  the 
time  by  the  unreserved  consecration  of  all  his  powers  to  him.  At 
first  his  diffidence  scarcely  allowed  him  to  lead  others  in  prayer  ; 
but  his  inventive  mind,  warm  heart,  and  ceaseless  energy  found 
many  means  of  usefulness,  including  the  wide  circulation  of  good 
books,  while  in  his  extensive  medical  practice.  It  is  stated  that 
a  sermon  he  heard  from  the  lamented  Dr.  Cornelius,  who  passed 
through  Tennessee,  fired  his  mind  with  the  most  enlarged  missionary 
spirit,  which  expired  only  with  his  life. 

At  about  the  age  of  thirty-three  he  gave  himself  publicly  to  the 
ministry  of  reconciliation,  assisted  for  a  time  in  editing  a  religious 
periodical,  and  was  soon  installed  in  Danville,  Kentucky,  where  he 
had  imbibed  his  infidelity,  as  successor  of  his  worthy  deceased 
brother,  who  had  done  so  much  for  the  church  and  college  there. 
He  soon  proved  that  he  had  indeed  been  called  to  the  work  of  the 
ministry.  He  became  "  a  burning  and  a  shining  light,"  not  only  to 
his  own  congregation,  but  far  and  wide  throughout  the  state,  where 
the  rich  effusions  of  the  Spirit  abundantly  attended  his  labors  ;  and 
it  was  those  revivals  which  were  the  manifest  precursors  of  the 
great  revival  of  1831,  which  extended  throughout  the  land,  and 
added  to  the  churches  more  than  one  hundred  thousand  souls.  He 
seemed  to  imbibe,  in  measure,  the  whole  spirit  of  our  Lord.  In  per- 
sonal efforts  for  the  salvation  of  individuals,  he  labored  like  Harlan 


80  CONTEKSION   OF 

Page.  In  the  pulpit,  his  tall,  manly  form  and  kindled  eye,  his  frank- 
ness and  generosity  of  spirit,  the  gushing  love  of  his  heart  for  souls, 
his  bold,  free,  original  eloquence,  his  powerful  appeals  to  the  heart 
and  conscience,  his  full  and  clear  exhibition  of  Christ  and  his  salva- 
tion, attracted  and  fixed  the  attention  of  his  hearers. 

lie  wrote  the  Cause  and  Cure  of  Infidehty  about  1836,  in  the  first 
summer  of  his  residence  in  Illinois,  chiefly  under  the  shade  of  four 
large  oaky,  drawing  mainly  from  the  resources  of  his  own  mind  and 
memory.  He  also  wrote  another  treatise  entitled  "  Wealth  and 
Honor,"  breathing  a  missionary  spirit  as  expansive  as  the  ruins  of 
the  fall,  summoning  the  whole  energies  of  the  church  of  God  for  the 
world's  redemption,  and  showing  that  her  wealth  and  her  honor  were 
in  rescuing  lost  souls,  and  adding  them  as  gems  to  the  Redeemer's 
crown.  He  carried  this  work  to  the  east  for  publication,  but  it  is 
now  supposed  to  be  irrecoverably  lost. 

In  his  declining  health,  and  often  in  severe  suffering,  he  mourned 
mainly  that  he  could  not  preach  the  gospel  and  labor  to  win  sinners 
to  Christ  ;  but  he  murmured  not  against  the  divine  will.  When  the 
hour  of  his  departure  drew  nigh,  he  called  to  him  his  wife  and  so 
many  of  his  eleven  children  as  were  near,  saying,  "  My  master  calls. 
I  am  going  home.  Kiss  me,  my  children,  and  take  your  last  fare- 
well, for  I  shall  soon  be  in  a  state  of  insensibility,  and  shall  not 
know  you."  He  expressed  his  wishes  in  various  respects,  and  then 
said,  "  It  is  well,"  and  slumbered  till  the  resurrection-morn. 

Conversion  of  Hedley  Vicars. 

Hitherto,  says  his  biographer,  Hedley  Vicars  had  been  the  sub- 
ject only  of  the  awakening  work  of  the  Spirit.  In  later  days,  when 
he  looked  back  on  that  period  of  his  life,  he  distinctly  stated,  "  I 
was  not  then  converted  to  God."  He  was  seeking,  but  he  had  not 
found,  "  the  grace  of  life." 

It  was  in  the  month  of  November,  1851,  that  while  awaiting  the 
return  of  a  brother  ofQcer  to  his  room,  he  idly  turned  over  the 
leaves  of  a  Bible  which  lay  on  the  table.  The  words  caught  his 
eye,  "  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  his  Son  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin." 
Closing  the  book,  he  said,  "  If  this  be  true  for  me,  henceforth  I  will 


EMINENT   PERSONS.  81 

live,  by  the  grace  of  God,  as  a  man  should  live  who  has  been  washed 
in  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ." 

That  night  he  scarcely  slept,  pondering  in  his  heart  whether  it 
were  presumptuous  or  not  to  claim  an  interest  in  those   words. 
During  those  wakeful  hours,  he  was  watched,  we  cannot  doubt,  with . 
deep  and  loving  interest,  by  One  who  never  slumbereth  nor  sleepeth  ; 
and  it  was  said  of  him  in  heaven,  "  Behold  he  prayeth." 

In  answer  to  those  prayers,  he  was  enabled  to  believe,  as  he  arose 
in  the  morning,  that  the  message  of  peace  was  "  true  for  him  " — ''  a 
faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation."  "  The  past,"  he 
said,  "  then,  is  blotted  out.  What  I  have  to  do  is,  to  go  forward. 
I  cannot  return  to  the  sins  from  which  my  Saviour  has  cleansed  me 
with  His  own  blood." 

On  the  morning  which  succeeded  that  memorable  night,  he  bought 
a  large  Bible,  and  placed  it  open  on  the  table  in  his  sitting-room, 
determining  that  "  an  open  Bible  "  for  the  future  should  be  "  his 
colors,"  "  It  was  to  speak  for  me,"  he  said,  "  before  I  was  strong 
enough  to  speak  for  myself."  His  friends  came  as  usual  to  his 
rooms,  and  did  not  altogether  fancy  the  new  colors.  One  remarked 
that  he  had  "  turned  Methodist,"  and,  with  a  shrug,  retreated. 
Another  ventured  on  the  bolder  measure  of  warning  him  not  to 
become  a  hypocrite  :  "  Bad  as  you  were,  I  never  thought  you  would 
come  to  this,  old  fellow."  So,  for  the  most  part,  for  a  time  his 
quarters  were  deserted  by  his  late  companions.  Daring  six  or  seven 
months  he  had  to  encounter  no  slight  opposition  at  mess,  "  and  had 
hard  work,"  as  he  said,  "  to  stand  his  ground."  But  the  promise 
did  not  fail,  *'  The  righteous  shall  hold  on  his  way,  and  he  that  hath 
dean  hands  shall  wax  stronger  and  stronger." 

We  learn,  from  a  letter  recently  quoted,  from  Charles  Cay,  Esq., 
assistant-surgeon,  Coldstream  Guards,  late  of  the  9tth,  that  from 
this  time  his  conversion  grew  daily  more  deeply  spiritual,  and  that 
he  lost  no  opportunity  of  attending  every  public  service  in  Dr. 
Twining's  church,  and  his  Bible  classes  for  oflScers,  soldiers,  and 
those  in  hospital.  His  rapid  growth  in  knowledge  and  grace  is 
mainly  attributed  to  the  instruction  and  profit  gained  at  these 
classes,  by  a  senior  officer  (Lieutenant-Colonel  Ingram)  in  the  97th, 
whose  friendship  he  deeply  valued. 

4* 


82  OONYEESION   OF 

A  heart  so  large  and  loving  by  nature  as  that  of  Hedley  Vicars 
can  scarcely  accept  the  open  invitation  to  come  to  Jesus  for  pardon, 
peace,  and  eternal  life,  without  giving  him  an  immediate  response 
to  the  injunction,  "  Let  him  that  heareth  say,  come."  Accordingly, 
he  beg-an  to  teach  in  a  Sunday-school,  to  visit  the  sick,  and  to  take 
every  opportunity  of  reading  the  Scriptures  and  praying  with  the 
men  singly.  Of  three  of  these,  whom  he  describes  as  "  once  great 
sinners,  nearly  as  bad  as  myself,"  he  could  soon  say  confidently  that 
they  had  followed  him  in  turning  to  God.  At  the  same  time  he  was 
also  the  means  of  awakening  some  of  his  brother  officers  to  make 
the  earnest  inquiry,  "  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?" 

"  As  he  felt  he  had  been  much  forgiven,"  writes  the  friend  before 
alluded  to,  "so  in  proportion  was  the  ever-burning  and  increasing 
love  to  Him  whom  he  had  so  long  grieved  by  his  sins.  The  name 
of  Jesus  was  ever  on  his  lips  and  in  his  heart.  Much  grace  was 
given  him  to  confess  Jesus  boldly  before  others  ;  and  when  he  was 
adjutant,  his  example  and  his  rebukes  to  the  men  for  swearing  car- 
ried great  weight,  and  showed  his  zeal  for  the  honor  of  God." 

Rev.  Samuel    Pearce. 

When  about  fifteen  years  old  he  was  sent  by  his  father  to  inquire 
after  the  welfare  of  a  person  in  the  neighborhood,  in  dying  circum- 
stances, who  (though  before  his  departure  he  was  in  a  happy  state 
of  mind,  yet)  at  that  time  was  sinking  into  deep  despair.  While  in 
the  room  of  the  dying  man,  he  heard  him  cry  out  with  inexpressible 
agony  of  spirit,  "I  am  damned  forever  !"  These  awful  words 
pierced  his  soul  ;  and  he  felt  a  resolution  at  the  time  to  serve  the 
Lord  ;  but  the  impression  soon  wore  off,  and  he  again  returned  to 
folly. 

When  about  sixteen  years  of  age,  it  pleased  God  effectually  to 
turn  him  to  himself.  A  sermon  delivered  by  Mr.  Birt,  who  was  then 
co-pastor  with  Mr.  Gibbs,  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Plymouth,  was 
the  first  means  of  impressing  his  heart  with  a  sense  of  his  lost  condi- 
tion, and  of  directing  him  to  the  gospel  remedy.  The  change  in 
him  appears  to  have  been  sudden,  but  effectual  ;  and  the  recollec- 
tion of  his  former  vicious  propensities,  though  a  source  of  bitterness, 


EMESTENT   PERSONS.  83 

yet  furnished  a  strong  evidence  of  its  being  the  work  of  God.  "  I 
believe,"  he  says,  "  few  conversions  were  more  joyful.  The  change 
produced  in  my  views,  feelings,  and  conduct,  was  so  evident  to  my- 
self, that  I  could  no  more  doubt  of  its  being  from  God,  than  of  my 
existence.  I  had  the  witness  in  myself,  and  was  filled  with  peace 
.and  joy  unspeakable." 

His  feehngs  being  naturally  strong  and  receiving  a  new  direction, 
he  entered  into  religion  with  all  his  heart ;  but  not  having  known 
the  devices  of  Satan,  his  soul  was  entangled  by  its  own  ardor,  and 
he  was  thrown  into  great  perplexity.  Having  read  Doddridge's 
Rise  and  Progress  of  Religion  in  the  Soul,  he  determined  formally  to 
dedicate  himself  to  the  Lord,  in  a  manner  recommended  in  the  sev- 
enteenth chapter  of  that  work.  The  form  of  a  covenant,  as  there 
drawn  up,  he  also  adopted  as  his  own  ;  and  that  he  might  bind 
himself  in  the  most  solemn  and  affecting  manner,  signed  it  with  his 
blood.  But  afterwards  failing  in  his  engagements,  he  was  pluuo-ed 
into  dreadful  perplexity,  and  almost  into  despair.  On  a  review  of 
his  covenant,  he  seems  to  have  accused  himself  of  a  pharisaical  re- 
liance upon  the  strength  of  his  own  resolutions  ;  and  therefore, 
taking  the  paper  to  the  top  of  his  father's  house,  he  tore  it  into 
small  pieces,  and  threw  it  from  him  to  be  scattered  by  the  wind. 
He  did  not,  however,  consider  his  obligation  to  be  the  Lord's,  as 
hereby  nullified  ;  but  feeling  more  suspicion  of  himself,  he  depended 
upon  the  blood  of  the  cross. 

After  this  he  was  baptized,  and  became  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church  at  Plymouth,  the  ministers  and  members  of  which,  in  a  few 
years,  perceived  in  him  talents  for  public  work.  Being  solicited  by 
both  his  pastors,  he  exercised  as  a  probationer  ;  and  receiving  a 
unanimous  call  from  the  church,  entered  on  the  work  of  the  ministry 
in  November,  1786.  Soon  after  this  he  went  to  the  academy  at 
Bristol,  then  under  the  superintendence  of  Dr.  Caleb  Evans. 

Rev.  Andrew    Fuller. 

"  I  was,  at  times,  the  subject  of  such  convictions  and  affections, 
that  I  really  thought  myself  converted,  and  lived  under  that  delu- 
sion for  a  long  time.     The  ground  on  which  I  rested  that  opinion. 


84  CONVEKSION    OF 

was  as  follows  :  One  morning,  I  think  about  the  year  116*7,  as  1 
was  walking  alone,  I  began  to  think  seriously  what  would  become  of 
my  poor  soul,  and  was  deeply  aflfected  in  thinking  of  my  condition.  I 
felt  myself  the  slave  of  sin,  and  that  it  had  such  power  over  me,  that 
it  was  in  vain  for  me  to  think  of  extricating  ifiyself  from  its  thralldom. 
I  walked  sorrowfully  along,  repeating  these  words  :  'Iniquity  will 
be  ray  ruin  !  Iniquity  will  be  my  ruin  !'  While  poring  over  my 
unhappy  case,  those  words  of  the  Apostle  suddenly  occurred  to  my 
mind,  '  Sin  shall  not  have  dominion  over  you  ;  for  ye  are  not  under 
the  law,  but  under  grace.'  Now,  the  suggestion  of  a  text  of  Scrip- 
ture to  the  mind,  especially  if  it  came  with  power,  was  generally 
considered,  by  the  religious  people  with  whom  I  occasionally  asso- 
ciated, as  a  promise  coming  immediately  from  God.  I,  therefore, 
so  understood  it,  and  thought  that  God  had  thus  revealed  to  me 
that  I  was  in  a  state  of  salvation,  and  that,  therefore,  iniquity  should 
not,  as  I  had  feared,  be  my  ruin.  The  effect  was,  I  was  overcome 
with  joy  and  transport.  I  shed,  I  suppose,  thousands  of  tears  as  I 
walked  along,  and  seemed  to  feel  myself,  as  it  were,  in  a  new  world. 
It  appeared  to  me  that  I  hated  my  sins,  and  was  resolved  to  forsake 
them.  Thinking  on  my  wicked  courses,  I  remember  using  those 
words  of  Paul,  '  Shall  I  continue  in  sin,  that  grace  may  abound  ? 
God  forbid  V  I  felt,  or  seemed  to  feel,  the  strongest  indignation'Sil 
the  thought.  But,  strange  as  it  may  appear,  though  my  face  was 
that  morning,  I  believe,  swollen  with  weeping,  before  night  all  was 
gone  and  forgotten,  and  I  returned  to  my  former  vices  with  as  eager 
a  gust  as  ever.  Nor  do  I  remember,  that,  for  more  than  half  a  year 
afterwards,  I  had  any  serious  thoughts  about  the  salvation  of  my 
soul.  I  lived  entirely  without  prayer,  and  was  wedded  to  my  sins 
just  the  same  as  before,  or,  rather,  was  increasingly  attached  tf 
thera. 

"  Some  time  in  the  following  year,  I  was  again  walking  by  myself, 
and  began  to  reflect  upon  my  course  of  life  ;  particularly  upon  my 
former  hopes  and  affections,  and  how  I  had  since  forgotten  them  all, 
and  returned  to  all  my  wicked  ways.  Instead  of  sin  having  no 
more  dominion  over  me,  I  perceived  that  its  dominion  had  been 
increased.  Yet,  I  still  thought  that  must  have  been  a  promise  of 
God  to  me,  and  tnat  I  must  have  been  a  converted  person,  but  in  a 


EMtUENT   PERSONS.  85 

backsliding  state.  And  this  persuasion  was  confirmed  by  another 
sudden  impression,  which  dispelled  my  dejection,  in  these  words  :  '  I 
have  blotted  out  as  a  thick  cloud  thy  transgressions,  and  as  a  cloud 
thy  sins.'  This,  like  the  former,  overcame  my  mind  with  joy.  I 
wept  much  at  the  thoughts  of  having  backslidden  so  long,  but  yet 
considered  myself  now  as  restored  and  happy.  But  this  also  was 
mere  transient  affection.  I  have  great  reason  to  think  that  the  great 
deep  of  my  heart's  depravity  had  not  yet  been  broken  up,  and  that  all 
my  religion  was  without  any  abiding  principle.  Amidst  it  all,  I  still 
continued  in  the  neglect  of  prayer,  and  was  never,  that  I  recollect, 
induced  to  deny  myself  of  any  sin,  when  temptations  were  presented. 
I  now  thought,  however,  '  Surely  I  shall  be  better  for  the  time  to 
come.'  But  alas  I  in  a  few  days  this  also  was  forgotten,  and  I  re- 
turned to  my  evil  courses  with  as  great  an  eagerness  as  ever. 

"  One  morning,  I  think  in  November,  1169,  I  walked  out  by  my- 
self, with  an  unusual  load  of  guilt  upon  my  conscience.  The  remem- 
brance of  my  sin,  not  only  on  the  past  evening,  but  for  a  long  time 
back,  the  breach  of  my  vows,  and  the  shocking  termination  of  my 
former  hopes  and  affections,  all  uniting  together,  formed  a  burden 
which  I  knew  not  how  to  bear.  The  reproaches  of  a  guilty  con- 
science seemed  like  the  gnawing  worm  of  hell.  I  thought,  '  Surely 
that  must  be  an  earnest  of  hell  itself !'  The  fire  and  brimstone  of 
the  bottomless  pit  seemedHo  burn  within  my  bosom.  I  do  not  write 
in  the  language  of  exaggeration.  I  now  know  that  the  sense  which 
I  then  had  of  the  evil  of  sin,  and  the  wrath  of  God,  was  very  far 
short  of  the  truth  ;  but  yet  it  seemed  more  than  I  was  able  to  sus- 
tain. In  reflecting  upon  my  broken  vows,  I  saw  that  there  was  no 
truth  in  me.  I  saw  that  God  would  be  perfectly  just  in  sending  me 
to  hell,  and  that  to  hell  I  must  go,  unless  I  were  saved  of  mere 
grace,  and  as  it  were  in  spite  of  myself.  I  felt,  that  if  God  were  to 
forgive  me  all  my  past  sins,  I  should  again  destroy  my  soul,  and  that 
in  less  than  a  day's  time.  I  never  before  knew  what  it  was  to  feel 
myself  an  odious,  lost  sinner,  standing  in  need  of  both  pardon  and 
purification.  Yet,  though  I  needed  these  blessings,  it  seemed  pre- 
sumption to  hope-for  them,  after  what  I  had  done.  I  was  absolutely 
helpless,  and  seemed  to  have  nothing  about  me  that  ought  to  ^cite 
the  pity  of  God,  or  that  I  could  reasonably  expect  should  do  so  ; 


86  OONVEKSION   OF 

but  everything  disgusting  to  him,  and  provoking  to  the  eyes  of  his 
glory. 

"  I  was  not  then  aware  that  any  poor  sinner  had  a  warrant  to  be- 
lieve in  Christ  for  the  salvation  of  his  soul ;  but  supposed  there  must 
be  some  kind  of  qualification  to  entitle  him  to  do  it ;  yet  I  was 
aware  that  I  had  no  qualifications.  On  review  of  my  resolution  at 
that  time,  it  seems  to  resemble  that  of  Esther,  who  went  into  the 
king's  presence,  contrary  to  law,  and  at  the  hazard  of  her  life.  Like 
her,  I  seemed  reduced  to  extremities,  impelled  by  dire  necessity,  to 
run  all  hazards,  even  though  I  should  perish  in  the  attempt.  Yet  it 
was  not  altogether  from  a  dread  of  wrath  that  I  fled  to  this  refuge  ; 
for  I  well  remember,  that  I  felt  something  attracting  in  the  Saviour. 
*  I  must — I  will — yes — I  will  trust  my  soul,  my  sinful,  lost  soul  in  his 
hands — if  I  perish,  I  perish  I'  However  it  was,  I  was  determined  to 
cast  myself  upon  Christ,  thinking,  perad venture,  he  would  save  my 
soul ;  and  if  not,  I  could  but  be  lost.  In  this  way  I  continued 
above  an  hour,  weeping  and  supplicating  mercy  for  the  Saviour's 
sake:  (my  soul  hath  it  still  in  remembrance,  and  is  humbled  in  me  !) 
and  as  the  eye  of  the  mind  was  more  and  more  fixed  upon  him,  my 
guilt  and  fears  were  gradually  and  insensibly  removed.  I  now  found 
rest  for  my  troubled  soul." 

Adoniram  Judson. 

Young  Judson  is  described  as  possessed  of  an  acute  intellect, 
with  great  powers  of  acquisition  and  unflagging  perseverance.  His 
temper  was  amiable,  but  his  natural  love  of  preeminence  was  unduly 
encouraged  and  fostered  by  his  father,  who  fondly  but  unwisely  told 
him  he  expected  him  to  become  a  great  man.  When  about  four- 
teen years  of  age,  his  studies  were  interrupted  by  a  serious  attack 
of  illness,  and  for  a  year  after  he  was  unable  to  resume  his  wonted 
occupations.  When  the  violence  of  the  disease  subsided,  he  spent 
many  long  days  and  nights  in  reflecting  upon  his  future  course. 
His  plans  were  of  the  most  extravagantly  ambitious  character. 
Now^e  was  an  orator,  now  a  poet,  now  a  statesman;  but,  what- 
ever his  character  or  profession,  he  was  sure  in  his  castle-building 
to  attain  to  the  highest  eminence.     After  a  time,  one  thought  crept 


EMINENT   PERSONS.  87 

into  his  mind  and  embittered  all  his  musings.  Suppose  he  should 
attain  to  the  highest  pinnacle  of  which  human  nature  is  capable: 
what  then  ?  Could  he  hold  his  honor  forever  ?  What  would  it  be 
to  him,  when  a  hundred  years  had  gone  by,  that  America  had 
never  known  his  equal  ?  He  did  not  wonder  that  Alexander  wept 
when  at  the  summit  of  his  ambition;  he  felt  very  sure  that  he 
should  have  wept  too.  Then  he  would  become  alarmed  at  the 
extent  of  his  own  wicked  soarings,  and  try  to  comfort  himself  with 
the  idea  that  it  w^as  all  the  result  of  the  fever  in  his  brain. 

One  day,  his  mind  reverted  to  religious  pursuits.  Yes,  an  emi- 
nent divine  was  very  well:  though  he  should  of  course  prefer  some- 
thing more  brilliant.  Gradually,  and  without  his  being  aware  of 
his  own  train  of  thought,  his  mind  instituted  a  comparison  between 
the  great  worldly  divine,  toiling  for  the  same  perishable  objects  as 
his  other  favorites,  afid  the  humble  minister  of  the  gospel,  laboring 
only  to  please  God  and  benefit  his  fellow-men.  There  was  (so  he 
thought)  a  sort  of  sublimity  about  that,  after  all.  Surely  the  w^orld 
was  all  wrong,  or  such  a  self-abjuring  man  would  be  its  hero  ?  An  I 
but  the  good  man  had  a  reputation  more  enduring.  Yes,  yes,  his 
fame  was  sounded  before  him  as  he  entered  the  other  world;  and 
that  was  the  only  fame  worthy  of  the  possession,  because  the  only 
one  that  triumphed  over  the  grave.  Suddenly,  in  the  midst  of  his 
self-gratulation,  the  words  flashed  across  his  mind,  "  Not  unto  us, 
not  unto  us,  but  unto  thy  name  give  glory."  He  was  confounded. 
Not  that  he  had  actually  made  himself  the  representative  of  this 
last  kind  of  greatness;  it  was  not  sufficiently  to  his  taste  for  that: 
but  he  had  ventured  on  dangerous  ground,  and  he  was  startled  by  a 
a  flood  of  feelings  that  had  till  now  remained  dormant.  He  had 
always  said  and  thought,  so  far  as  he  had  thought  anything  about 
it,  that  he  wished  to  become  truly  rehgious;  but  now  religion 
seemed  so  entirely  opposed  to  all  his  ambitious  plans,  that  he  was 
afraid  to  look  into  his  heart,  lest  he  should  discover,  what  he  did 

---not  like  to  confess,  even  to  himself,  that  he  did  not  want  to  become 
a  Christian.  He  was  fully  awake  to  the  vanity  of  worldly  pursuits, 
and  was,  on  the  whole,  prepared  to  yield  the  palm  of  excellence  to 

'  religious  ones;  but  his  father  had  often  said  he  would  one  day  b^ 
great  man,  and  a  great  man  he  had  resolved  to  be. 


88  CONVEESION  OF 

The  transition  from  this  state  of  mind  to  infidelity  was  very  easy. 
French  infidelity  was,  at  this  period,  sweeping  over  the  land  like  a 
flood.  At  Providence  College  there  was  a  young  man,  who  was 
amiable,  talented,  witty,  exceedingly  agreeable  in  person  and  man- 
ners, but  a  confirmed  deist.  A  very  strong  friendship  sprang  up 
between  the  two  young  men,  founded  on  similar  tastes  and  sympa- 
thies, and  Judson  soon  became,  at  least  professedly,  as  great  an 
unbeliever  as  his  friend. 

During  a  part  of  his  collegiate  course,  Judson  was  engaged  in 
the  instruction  of  a  school,  at  Plymouth,  and,  on  closing  school,  set 
out  on  a  tour  through  the  Northern  States,  and  thence  to  New 
York. 

After  seeing  what  he  wished  of  New  York,  he  pursued  his  jour- 
ney westward,  and  visited  the  home  of  an  uncle,  a  Christian  minister. 
The  uncle  was  absent,  and  the  conversation  of* the  young  man  who 
occupied  his  place  was  characterized  by  a  godly  sincerity,  a  solemn 
but  gentle  earnestness,  which  addressed  itself  to  the  heart;  and 
Judson  went  away  deeply  impressed.  The  next  night  he  stopped 
at  a  country-inn.  The  landlord  mentioned,  as  he  lighted  him  to  his 
room,  that  he  had  been  obliged  to  place  him  next  door  to  a  young 
man  who  was  exceedingly  ill,  probably  in  a  dying  state;  but  he 
hoped  that  it  would  occasion  him  no  uneasiness.  Judson  assured 
him  that,  beyond  pity  for  the  sick  man,  he  should  have  no  feeling 
whatever.  But  it  was  nevertheless  a  very  restless  night.  Sounds 
came  from  the  sick  chamber — sometimes  the  movements  of  the 
watchers,  sometimes  the  groans  of  the  sufiTeror;  but  it  was  not  these 
which  disturbed  him.  He  thought  of  what  the  landlord  had  said: 
the  stranger  was  probably  in  a  dying  state ;  and  was  he  prepared  ? 
Alone,  and  in  the  dead  of  night,  he  felt  a  blush  of  shame  steal  over 
him  at  the  question,  for. it  proved  the  shallowness  of  his  philosophy. 
What  would  his  late  companions  say  to  his  weakness  ?  The  clear- 
minded,  intellectual,  witty  E ,  what  would  he  say  to  such  con- 
summate boyishness  ?  But  still  his  thoughts  would  revert  to  the 
sick  man.  Was  he  a  Christian,  calm  and  strong  in  the  hope  of  a 
glorious  immortality  ?  or  was  he  shuddering  upon  the  brink  of  a 
dark,  unknown  future  ?  Perhaps  he  was  a  "  freethinker,"  educated 
by  Christian  parents  and  prayed  over  by  a  Christian  mother.     The 


EMINENT   PEE80N8.  89 

landlord  had  described  him  as  a  young  man;  and,  in  imagination, 
he  was  forced  to  place  himself  upon  the  dying  bed,  though  "he 
strove  with  all  his  might  against  it.  At  last,  morning  came,  and 
its  light  dispelled  all  his  "superstitious  illusions."  As  soon  as  he 
had  risen,  he  went  in  search  of  the  landlord  and  inquired  for  his 
fellow-lodger.  '' He  is  dead,"  was  the  reply.  "Dead!"  "Yes;  he 
is  gone,  poor  fellow  I  The  doctor  said  he  would  probably  not  sur- 
vive the  night."  "Do  you  know  who  he  was  ?"  "  Oh,  yes;  it  was 
a  young  man  from  Providence  College — a  very  fine  fellow:  his 

name  was  E ."     Judson  was  completely  stunned.     After  hours 

had  passed,  he  knew  not  how,  he  attempted  to  pursue  his  journey. 
But  one  single  thought  occupied  his  mind,  and  the  words,  Deadl 
lost!  lost!  were  continually  ringing  in  his  ears.  He  knew  the  reli- 
gion of  the  Bible  to  be  true,  he  felt  its  truth,  and  he  was  in  despair. 
In  this  state  of  mind  he  resolved  to  abandon  his  scheme  of  travel- 
ling, and  at  once  turned  his  horse's  head  towards  Plymouth. 

Mr.  Judson's  moral  nature  was  now  thoroughly  aroused,  and  he 
was  deeply  in  earnest  on  the  subject  of  religion.  Light  gradually 
dawned  upon  his  mind,  and  he  was  enabled,  a  few  months  later,  to 
surrender  his  whole  soul  to  Christ  as  his  atoning  Saviour.  The 
change  in  Mr.  Judson's  religious  character  was  not  attended  by 
those  external  indications  of  moral  excitement  which  are  frequently 
observed.  The  reformation  wrought  in  him  was,  however,  deep  and 
radical.  With  unusual  simplicity  of  purpose,  he  yielded  himself  up 
once  and  forever  to  the  will  of  God,  and,  without  a  shadow  of  mis- 
giving, relied  upon  Christ  as  his  all-sufi&cient  Saviour.  From  the 
moment  of  his  conversion,  he  seemed  never,  through  life,  to  have 
been  harassed  by  a  doubt  of  his  acceptance  with  God.  The  new 
creation  was  so  manifest  to  his  consciousness,  that,  in  the  most  de- 
cided form,  he  had  the  witness  in  himself.  His  plans  of  hfe  were, 
of  course,  entirely  reversed.  He  banished  forever  those  dreams  of 
literary  and  political  ambition  in  which  he  had  formerly  indulged, 
and  simply  asked  himself,  how  shall  I  so  order  my  future  being  as 
best  to  please  God  ?  That  he  was  moved  by  no  transient  impulse 
nor  fit  of  enthusiasm,  but  was  made  partaker  of  a  new  life — the 
divine  life — is  sufficiently  attested  by  the  devotion  of  six-and-thirty 
years  of  unwearied  toil  to  the  salvation  of  idolatrous  Burmah. 


90  (X)NVERSION   OF 


Samuel  Budgett. 


''  Samuel  Budgett,"  says  Ms  biograplier,  "  was  early  taught  to 
worship,  and  obey,  and  seek  the  God  from  whose  hand  his  young 
beino-  had  come.     What  Lamartine  so  beautifully  says  of  his  own 
mother,  might  be  said  equally  of  Budgett's  :  *  We  could  not  remem- 
ber the  day  when  she  first  spoke  to  us  about  God.' "     One  of  the 
friends  of  his  after-life  thus  states  one  of  those  events  which  pass 
silently  within  the  bosom  of  Christian  families,  but  which  reappear 
in  the  life  of  their  members,  in  blessed  and  memorable  fruit  :  "  He 
was  about  nine  years  of  age,  when  one  day,  in  passing  his  mother's 
door,  he  heard  her  engaged  in  earnest  prayer  for  her  family,  and  for 
himself  by  name.     He  thought,  '  My  mother  is  more  earnest  that  I 
should  be  saved  than  I  am  for  my  own  salvation.'     In  that  hour  he 
became  decided  to  serve  God,  and  the  impression  then  made  was 
never  effaced."     In  this  providential  manner  began  the  Christian  life 
of  one  of  tlie  most  useful  and  honored  of  the  sons  of  commerce,  who, 
rising  from  poverty,  acq^iired  wealth,  and  devoted  it  with  a  liberal 
hand  to  the  service  of  religion  and  humanity. 

Rev.  James  Hervey. 

In  the  parish  of  Weston  Favel,  where  he  was  his  father's  curate, 
there  resided  a  ploughman,  who  usually  attended  the  ministry  of 
Dr.  Doddridge  in  the  neighboring  town  of  Northampton.  Mr.  Her- 
vey very  frequently  accompanied  the  ploughman  in  his  rural  employ- 
ment for  the  sake  of  his  health.  Understanding  the  ploughman  to 
be  a  religious  person,  he  said  to  him  one  day,  "  What  do  you  think 
is  the  hardest  thing  in  religion  ?"  To  which  he  replied,  "I  am  a 
poor  illiterate  man,  and  you,  sir,  are  a  minister  :  I  beg  leave  to 
return  the  question."  Then  said  Mr.  Hervey,  "  I  think  the  hardest 
thing  is  to  deny  sinful  self,"  grounding  his  opinion  on  that  solemn 
admonition  of  our  Lord,  "  If  any  man  will  come  after  me,  let  him 
deny  himself."  "  I  argued,"  says  Mr.  Hervey,  ''  upon  the  import 
and  extent  of  the  duty,  showing  that  merely  to  forbear  the  infamous 
action  is  little  :  we  must  deny  admittance,  deny  entertainment,  at 


^INENT   PEESONS,  91 

least,  to  the  evil  imoginatioii,  and  quench  even  the  unkindling  spark 
of  irregular  desire.  In  this  way  I  shot  mj  random  bolt."  The 
ploughman  replied,  "  There  is  another  kind  of  self-denial  to  which 
the  injunction  goes  ;  it  is  of  great  consequence,  and  the  hardest 
thing  in  religion  :  and  that  is,  to  deny  righteous  self."  He  went  on 
to  say  with  what  pleasure  he  and  his  family  had  for  a  long  time 
enjoyed  the  ordinances  of  religion  under  the  ministry  of  Dr. 
Doddridge,  and  added,  "  But  to  this  moment  I  find  it  the  hardest 
thing  to  deny  righteous  self  ;  I  mean  the  renouncing  of  our  own 
strength,  and  of  our  own  righteousness  : — ^not  leaning  on  that  for 
holiness,  nor  relying  on  this  for  justification.''  In  repeating  the 
story  to  a  friend,  Mr.  Hervey  observed,  "  I  then  hated  the  right- 
eousness of  Christ  ;  I  looked  at  the  man  with  astonishment  and  dis- 
dain, and  thought  him  an  old  fool,  and  wondered  at  what  I  then 
fancied  the  motley  mixture  of  piety  and  oddity  in  his  notions.  I 
have  since  clearly  seen  who  was  the  fool — not  the  wise  old  Christian, 
but  the  proud  James  Hervey.'' 

Several  noted  Infidels. 

It  is  told  of  Lord  Lyttleton  and  his  friend  Gilbert  West  that 
they  agreed  together  to  write  something  in  support  of  their  unbelief. 
The  former  chose  the  conversion  of  St.  Paul  as  his  theme,  and  the 
latter  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ.  But  the  result  of  their 
studies  was  the  reverse  of  their  anticipations.  Lyttleton  found  in  the 
history  of  the  conversion  of  St.  Paul  an  irrefragable  argumen/ 
in  support  of  the  entire  Christian  scheme,  and  West  found  a  like 
argument  in  the  history  of  our  Lord's  resurrection.  And  to  this 
circumstance  we  owe  the  valuable  works  of  these  authors  on  these 
special  topics  in  defence  of  the  Christian  faith. 

The  infidelity  of  John  Newton  gave  way  amid  the  terrors  of  the 
storm.     The   infidelity  of  Richard   Cecil  gave   way   through   the 
wretchedness  of  soul  to  which  it  reduced  him.     Soame  Jeuyns,  wb 
was  member  of  Parliament  for  Cambridge,  could  find  no  rest  for  b 
spirit,  and  was  thus  impelled  to  examine  the  grounds  of  his  unbelie. 
The  result  was,  that  he  discovered  his  error,  believed  in  the  Saviou. 
of  mankind,  and  wrote  a  small  treatise  in  defence  of  the  gospel, 


92  CONVERSION   OF* 

entitled,  "A  View  of  the  Internal  Evidences  of  Christianity.'* 
General  Dykern  was  a  professed  deist  till  he  received  his  mortal 
wound  at  the  battle  of  Bergen,  in  1759.  During  his  illness,  how- 
ever, a  great  change  was  wrought  upon  his  mind,  and  he  died  in  the 
full  assurance  of  faith,  glorying  in  the  salvation  of  Jesus,  and 
wondering  at  the  happy  change  that  had  taken  place  in  his  soul. 

Isabella  Graham. 

In  Mrs.  Isabella  Graham  we  have  a  beautiful  specimen  of  true 
religion,  at  once  feminine  and  practical.  And  its  origin  was  peace- 
ful, imperceptible,  and  early,  like  that  of  Albert  Bengel.  Her 
childhood  and  youth  were  spent  among  all  the  traditional  associa- 
tions of  Eldersley,  once  the  habitation  of  the  Scottish  hero,  Sir 
William  Wallace.  Of  the  period  at  which  her  heart  first  tasted 
that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  her  biographer  tells  us  she  had  no  precise 
recollection.  As  far  back  as  she  could  remember,  she  took  delight 
in  pouring  out  her  soul  to  God.  In  the  words  of  Eldersley,  she 
selected  a  bush  to  which  she  resorted  in  seasons  of  devotion  ;  and 
under  this  bush  she  was  enabled  to  devote  herself  to  God,  through 
faith  in  her  Redeemer,  before  she  attained  her  tenth  year.  To  this 
favorite  and  (to  her)  sacred  spot  she  would  repair  when  exposed  to 
temptation  or  perplexed  with  youthful  troubles.  From  thence  she 
caused  her  prayers  to  ascend,  and  always  found  peace  and  con- 
solation. 

That  this  was  more  than  mere  girlish  sentiment  was  proved  by  its 
growing  and  practical  character.  While  only  twenty-four  years 
of  age  we  find  her  married,  and  with  her  husband,  a  regimental 
surgeon,  resident  at  Fort  Niagara,  on  Lake  Ontario.  The  want  of 
religious  ordinances  was  here,  no  doubt,  the  occasion  of  injury  to  the 
life  of  God  in  her  soul.  But  a  conscientious  observance  of  the 
Sabbath  was  the  means  of  her  preservation.  She  wandered,  on 
those  sacred  days,  into  the  woods  around  Niagara,  searched  her 
Bible,  communed  with  God  and  herself,  and  poured  out  her  soul  in 
prayer  to  her  covenant  Lord. 

A  few  years  after  we  find  her  returning  from  America,  a  sorrowful 
widow  with  three  infants  to  care  for.     After  a  stormy  and  trying 


EMINENT  PERSONS.  93 

voyage,  she  arrived  in  safety  at  Belfast,  and  thence  embarked  for 
Scotland  on  board  a  packet  on  which,  as  she  afterwards  learned, 
there  was  not  even  a  compass.  There  arose  a  great  storm,  and 
they  were  tossed  to  and  fro  for  nine  hours  in  imminent  danger. 
The  rudder  and  the  masts  were  carried  away  ;  everything  on  deck 
was  thrown  overboard  ;  and,  at  length,  the  vessel  struck  in  the 
night  upon  a  rock  on  the  coast  of  Ayr.  The  greatest  confusion  per- 
vaded the  passengers  and  the  crew.  Of  a  number  of  young  students 
going  to  the  University  of  Edinburgh,  some  were  swearing,  some 
were  praying,  and  all  were  in  despair.  The  widow  only  remained 
composed.  The  faith  which  was  implanted  in  her  while  in  girlhood 
she  rambled  among  the  woods  of  Eldersley,  was  her  support.  With 
her  babe  in  her  arms,  she  hushed  her  weeping  family,  and  told  them 
that  in  a  few  moments  they  should  all  go  to  join  their  father  in  a 
better  world.  The  passengers  wrote  their  names  in  their  pocket- 
books,  that  their  bodies  might  be  recognized.  One  young  man  came' 
into  the  cabin,  asking,  **  Is  there  any  peace  here  ?"  He  was  sur- 
prised to  find  a  female  so  tranquil,  and  a  short  conversation  showed 
that  religion  was  the  source  of  comfort  and  hope  to  them  both  in 
this  perilous  hour. 

That  her  early  piety,  though  of  a  quiet,  imperceptible  growth, 
was  not  superficial,  nor  merely  emotional,  will  appear  likewise  from 
the  language  in  which  she  described  it  many  years  after.  Writing 
from  New  York  to  a  friend  in  Edinburgh,  she  said,  "  It  is  now, 
I  think,  thirty-five  years  since  I  simply  but  solemnly  accepted  of  the 
Lord's  Christ  as  God's  gift  to  a  lost  world.  I  rolled  my  condemned, 
perishing,  corrupted  soul  upon  this  Jesus,  exhibited  in  the  gospel  as 
a  Saviour  from  sin.  My  views  then  were  dark  compared  with  what 
they  now  are  ;  but  this  I  remember,  that,  at  the  time,  I  felt  a  heart- 
satisfying  trust  in  the  mercy  of  God  as  the  purchase  of  Christ,  and, 
for  a  time,  rejoiced  with  joy  scarcely  supportable,  singiug  almost 
continually  the  103d  Psalm." 

The  Earl  of  Rochester. 

The  case  of  the  Earl  of  Kochester  is  well  known — "  a  great  wit,  a 
great  scholar,  a  great  poet,  a  great  sinner,  and  a  great  penitent.'-' 


94:  CONVERSION   OF 

He  had  sunk  and  wallowed  in  the  very  slough  of  wickedness, 
but,  when  "  he  came  to  himself,"  he  regarded  himself  as  the 
greatest  sinner  the  sun  had  ever  shone  upon,  and  wished  he  had 
been  a  crawUng  leper  in  a  ditch,  rather  than  have  offended  God  as 
he  had  done.  "  One  day,  at  an  atheistical  meeting  in  the  house  of  a 
person  of  quality,"  he  told  a  friend  afterwards,  "  I  undertook  to 
manage  the  cause,  and  was  the  principal  disputant  against  God  and 
religion  ;  and  for  my  performances,  received  the  applause  of  the 
whole  company.  Upon  this  my  mind  was  terribly  struck,  and  I 
immediately  replied  thus  to  myself :  '  Good  God  !  that  a  man  who 
walks  upright,  who  sees  the  wonderful  works  of  God,  and  has  the 
use  of  his  senses  and  reason,  should  use  them  to  the  defying  of  his 
Creator  !'  "  But  there  was  no  genuine  conversion  till  the  fifty-third 
chapter  of  Isaiah  was  read  to  him,  together  with  some  other  parts 
of  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  "  when  it  pleased  God  to  fill  his  mind  with 
such  peace  and  joy  in  believing,  that  it  was  remarkable  to  all  about 
him.  *  Oh  blessed  God,'  he  would  say,  '  can  such  a  horrid  creature 
as  I  am  be  accepted  by  thee,  who  have  denied  thy  being  and 
condemned  thy  power  ?  Can  there  be  mercy  and  pardon  for  me  ? 
Shall  the  unspeakable  joys  of  heaven  be  conferred  on  me  ?  Oh, 
mighty  Saviour,  never  but  through  thine  infinite  love  and  satisfaction  I 
Oh,  never  but  by  the  purchase  of  thy  blood  !'  adding,  that  with  all 
abhorrence  he  reflected  upon  his  former  life — that  from  his  heart  he 
repented  of  all  that  folly  and  madness  of  which  he  had  been  guilty." 

Martin  Boos. 

Martin  Boos  entered  on  the  duties  of  the  priest's  office  in  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  with  an  unspotted  character.  From  his 
earliest  years  his  conduct  had  been  irreproachable  ;  his  application 
to  his  literary  and  theological  studies  had  been  close  and  successful, 
and  he  was  habitually  conscientious  and  devout. 

Twenty  years  afterwards  (1811),  he  wrote  of  the  "immense 
pains"  which  he  took  to  be  a  very  pious  man,  in  these  terms  :  "  For 
years  together,  even  in  winter,  I  lay  on  the  cold  floor.  I  scourged 
myself  till  I  bled  again.  I  fasted  and  gave  my  bread  to  the  poor. 
T  spent  every  hour  I  could  spare  in  the  church  or  the  cemetery. 


EMINENT   PERSONS. 

I  confessed  and  took  the  sacrament  almost  every  weei  ;  in  short,  I 
gained  such  a  character  for  piety  that  I  was  appointed  prefect  of  the 
congregation  by  the  ex-Jesuits.  But  what  a  life  I  led  I  The  pre- 
fect, with  all  his  sanctity,  became  more  and  more  absorbed  in  self, 
melancholy,  anxious  and  formal.  The  saint  was  evermore  exclaim- 
ing in  his  heart,  '  Oh,  wretched  man  that  I  am  I  who  shall  deliver 
me  V  And  no  one  replied,  '  The  grace  of  God  through  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord.'  No  one  gave  the  sick  man  that  spiritual  specific,  '  The 
just  shall  live  by  faith  ;'  and  when  I  had  obtained  it,  and  found  the 
benefit  of  it,  the  whole  world,  with  all  its  learning  and  spiritual 
authority,  would  have  persuaded  me  that  I  had  swallowed  poison, 
and  was  poisoning  all  around  me  ;  that  I  deserved  to  be  hung, 
drowned,  immured,  banished  or  burned." 

The  history  of  the  change  which  the  young  priest  Boos  underwent 
is  very  simple.  "In  1788  or  1189,"  he  says,  "  I  visited  a  sick  per- 
son who  was  respected  for  her  deep  humility  and  exemplary  piety 
I  said  to  her,  '  You  will  die  very  peacefully  and  happily.'  '  Why 
so  V  she  asked.  *  Because  you  have  led,'  I  replied,  '  such  a  pious 
and  holy  life.'  The  good  woman  smiled  at  my  words,  and  said,  '  If 
I  leave  the  world  relying  on  my  own  piety  I  am  sure  I  shall  be  lost. 
But  relying  on  Jesus  my  Saviour,  I  can  die  in  comfort.  What  a 
clergyman  you  are  I  What  an  admirable  comforter  !  If  I  listened 
to  you,  what  would  become  of  me  ?  How  could  I  stand  before  the 
divine  tribunal,  where  every  one  must  give  an  account  even  of  her 
idle  words  ?  Which  of  our  actions  and  virtues  would  not  be  found 
wanting  if  laid  in  the  divine  balances  ?  No  ;  if  Christ  had  not  died 
for  me,  if  he  had  not  made  satisfaction  for  me,  I  should  have  been 
lost  for  ever,  notwithstanding  all  my  good  works  and  pious  conduct. 
He  is  my  hope,  my  salvation,  and  my  eternal  happiness.'  " 

Martin  Boos  found  instruction  where  he  sought  it  not.  He 
entered  the  house  of  affliction  to  console,  without  knowing  the  true 
consolation.  At  first  he  was  astounded  and  ashamed,  that  what  he, 
after  all  his  studies,  was  ignorant  of,  should  be  taught  him  by  a 
simple-hearted  woman  on  her  death-bed.  Happily  for  him,  he  was 
humble  enough  not  to  reject  the  truth  when  conveyed  tf)  him  by  so 
mean  an  instrument.  It  made  an  indelible  impression  m  his  mind 
and  formed  the  foundation  of  his  future  faith  and  life. 


96  CONVERSION   OF 

Caroline  Fry. 

Before  her  conversion  took  place,  Caroline  Fry  descended  into  the- 
lowest  depth  of  irreligion.     At  her  relative's  table,  where  she  was 
residing,  there  was  a  frequent  guest,  of  literary  reputation,  of  vener- 
able age,  courtly  and  high-bred,  whose  "  wit  spared  nothing  human 
or  divine  ;  friends,  life,  mortality,  religion,  nothing  barred  the  jest." 
"  As  was  most  natural,  Caroline  attached  herself  entirely  to  this  fas- 
cinating old  man."     If  his  insidious  flattery  "failed  to  make  any 
impression  on  her  delicacy,  artlessness,  and  purity  of  thought  and 
feeling,  there  was  that  in  which  the  influence  of  his  corrupt  compa- 
nionship did  not  fail ;  she  was  too  innocent  for  his  immorality,  she 
was  just  ready  for  his  irreligion.     Never,  perhaps,  at  the  early  age 
of  nineteen  and  twenty,  in  a  heart  of  such  simplicity  and  uncorrupt- 
ness  and  real  ignorance  of  evil,  was  the  enmity  of  the  fallen  nature 
so  developed.     Here,  in  the  bosom  of  a  simple  girl,  brought  up  in 
all  the  virtuous  regularity  and  real  religious  observance  of  a  secluded 
country  life — a  stranger  to  all  that  is  morally  evil,  to  a  degree  that 
would  not  be  credited  if  it  were  fully  explained — with  a  mind  solidly 
instructed,  and  unused  to  any  manner  of  evil  influence  by  books  or 
company,  hitherto  a  stranger  to  sorrows,  wrongs  and  fears,  that  tend 
to  harden  the  ungracious  heart — in  this  unvitiated,  unworldly  bosom 
was  manifested  at  that  early  age,  clear  and  strong  to  her  memory  as 
if  it  was  of  yesterday,  a  living,  active  hatred  to  the  very  name  of 
God.     She  persuaded  herself  there  was  no  God,  and  thought  she  be- 
lieved her  own  heart's  lie  ;  but  if  she  did,  why  did  she  hate  him  ? 
Why  did  she  feel  such  renovated  delight  when  his  name  was  the  sub- 
ject of  the  profane  old  poet's  wit  ?     '  No  God '  was  probably  with 
her  as  it  probably  is  with  every  other  infidel,  the  determination  of  the 
heart,  and  not  of  the  judgment.     Thus,  while  she  thought  herself 
above  all  religious  doubts,  she  seized  delightedly  on  every  manifesta 
tion  of  infidelity  in  those  around  her,  and  laughed  with  the  very  ut- 
most zest  of  gratified  aversion  at  every  profanation  of  the  holy  name." 
At  this  period  Caroline  Fry  was  residing  in  a  family  where  every 
thing  was  against  the  probability  of  her  receiving  religious  impres- 
sions, "  except  the  restless,  unsatisfied,  unhappy  state  of  her  own 
mind,  displeased  with  everything  around  her  and  within  her  ;  weary 


EMINENT   PERSONS.  97 

aucl  disgusted  witli  the  present,  and  gloomy  and  hopeless  of  the 
future,  without  a  single  sorrow  but  the  absence  of  all  joy."  Living 
in  the  utter  neglect  of  prayer,  there  were  times  when  not  upon  her 
knees,  but  on  her  bed,  she  would  give  mental  expression  to  her  feel- 
ings thus  :  "  God,  if  thou  art  a  God,  I  do  not  love  thee,  I  do  not 
want  thee,  I  do  not  believe  in  any  happiness  in  thee  ;  but  I  am 
miserable  as  I  am  ;  give  me  what  I  do  not  seek,  do  not  like,  do  not 
want,  if  thou  canst  make  me  happy  ;  I  am  tired  of  this  world  :  if 
there  is  anything  better,  give  it  me." 

**  In  the  destitution  of  her  affections  at  this  moment,  Caroline 
fixed  them  with  vehement  partiality  on  the  daughter  of  a  clergyman 
in  an  adjoining  parish."  This  young  lady  was  beautiful  and  fasci- 
nating, but'  disappointments  of  a  painful  character  had  made  her 
moody  and  melancholy.  She  denounced  the  world,  she  wished  to 
leave  it,  she  talked  much  of  its  vanity  ;  she  was,  or  thought  she 
was,  of  a  consumptive  habit,  and  not  likely  to  live  many  years  ;  she 
talked  much  of  death,  and  much  of  eternity,  and  much  of  God.  "  I 
do  not  remember,"  says  Miss  Fry,  "  that  she  ever  spoke  of  Christ, 
of  atoning  merit,  or  redeeming  love  ;  I  believe  she  knew  them  not. 
She  talked  of  the  world's  emptiness,  levity,  and  injustice.  I  do  not 
remember  that  she  ever  spoke  of  her  own  sin.  I  believe  her  religion 
was  purely  sentimental." 

To  this  friend  Caroline  never  spoke  of  her  unbelief,  nor  confessed 
the  total  absence  of  religious  feeling  in  her  bosom.  But  she  con- 
tinually bewailed  her  impetuosity  and  want  of  self-control,  compared 
with  the  composure  and  philosophy  manifested  by  her  friend  on  all 
occasions.  Friendship,  however,  looked  through  the  cover  of  silence 
that  slightly  concealed  Caroline's  infideUty.  And  her  friend 
addressed  a  letter  to  her,  to  tell  her  that  religion  was  the  source  of 
all  tlie  advantage  over  her  which  Caroline  had  so  often  noticed  and 
so  often  envied — all  that  she  called  philosophy.  The  bare  truth, 
that  religion  was  the  one  thing  needful  that  she  had  not,  struck  con- 
viction to  Miss  Fry's  soul  :  it  pierced  to  the  very  depths  of  her 
moral  being.  Her  first  emotion  on  perusal  of  the  letter  was  a  par- 
oxysm of  grief  and  indignation — grief  that  the  idol  of  her  aflfections 
should  condemn  her,  and  indignation  that  she  should  presume  to 
teach  her  ;  the  next  was  a  determined  resolution  that  her  friend 


98  CONYEKSION   OF 

should  not  influence  or  persuade  her.  On  three  successive  days  she 
attempted  to  answer  the  letter,  but  could  not.  "  Before  the  third 
night  arrived,  the  struggle  was  over  ;  the  battle  had  been  fought  and 
won  ;  the  strong  man  armed  was  vanquished  ;  the  banner  of  Jesus 
waved  peacefully  over  the  subdued  and  prostrate  spirit  of  the  infidel 
despiser  of  his  word,  the  conscious  hater  of  his  most  precious  name.'^ 

"  '  Lord,  save  me,  or  I  perish,'  has  been,  and  is,  from  first  to  last, 
the  sum  of  her  religion,  dated  from  that  most  wondrous  night,  the 
first  in  which  she  knelt  before  the  cross  ;  in  which  she  prayed  ;  in 
which  she  slept  in  Jesus.'' 

"The  most  immediate  result  of  this  change  of  heart  was,  the 
happiness  to  which  it  had  at  once  restored  her  :  at  peace  with  God, 
she  made  up  her  quarrel  with  all  things.  The  zest  of  life  returned ; 
she  no  longer  quarrelled  with  her  destiny,  or  felt  distaste  of  all  her 
pursuits,  or  grew  weary  of  her  existence  without  any  reason.  The 
void  was  filled  ;  she  never  after  wanted  something  to  do,  or  some- 
thing to  love,  or  something  to  look  forward  to  ;  the  less  there  was 
of  earth,  the  more  there  was  of  heaven  in  her  vision  ;  whenever 
man  failed  her,  Christ  took  her  up.  She  had  no  more  stagnant 
waters,  long  as  her  voyage  was  through  troubled  ones  ;  she  was,  with 
all  the  leaven  of  the  older  nature  that  remained,  essentially  a  new 
creature  to  herself." 

This  great  revolution  was  as  entire  as  it  was  sudden.  It  was  no 
mere  paroxysm  or  convulsion  of  soul.  It  was  a  change  which 
brought  with  it  new  prmciples  of  life.  And,  what  may  seem  most 
strange,  these  principles  were  very  difi'erent  from  those  of  the  friend 
who  was  the  unconscious  instrument  of  Miss  Fry's  conversion.  Jt 
w^as  not  to  a  mere  religionsness,  earnest  and  pharasaic,  that  she 
emerged  out  of  her  heart-chosen  infidelity  ;  it  was  to  a  faith  in  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  the  one  Mediator  and  High-Priest,  and  to  a 
simple-hearted  trust  in  Him  as  all  her  salvation.  The  bare  truth 
that  religion  is  the  one  thing  needful  stung  her  to  the  quick  ;  but 
the  seeds  of  other  truths  were  in  her  mind,  though  hated  and  disbe- 
lieved. And  these  sprang  up,  now  that  the  fallow  ground  was 
broken,  and  produced  those  fruits  of  humble  trust  in  the  Saviour  of 
sinners,  devout  love  to  His  holy  name,  and  an  earnest  zeal  to  conse- 
crate to  his  praise  a  life  that  had  been  redeemed  by  his  mercy. 


EMINENT   PERSONS.  00 

Wilberforce's  Conversion. — Mr.  Wilberforce  was  in  the 
24th  year  of  his  age  when  he  was  elected  member  of  parliament  for 
Hull,  He  afterwards  attended  the  county  election,  and  such  was 
the  charm  of  his  eloquence  on  that  occasion,  in  the  large  castle  area 
at  York,  that  the  people  all  cried,  "We  will  have  that  little  man 
for  our  member."  He  was  then  one  of  the  gayest  of  the  gay  : 
not  an  openly  vicious  man,  but  peculiar  for  his  wit,  and  his  distinc- 
tion in  the  fashionable  circles.  His  wit  became  innocuous  under 
Christian  principles.  He  was  said  to  be  the  "joy  and  crown  of 
l)oncaster  races."  He  went  to  pay  a  visit  to  a  relation  at  Nice,  and 
was  accompanied  by  the  Rev.  Isaac  Milner,  afterwards  dean  of 
Carlisle.  Mention  was  made  of  a  certain  individual  who  moved  in 
the  same  rank,  an  ecclesiastical  gentleman,  a  man  devoted  to  his 
duty.  Mr.  W.  said,  regarding  him,  "  that  he  thought  he  carried 
things  too  far  ;"  to  which  Mr.  Milner  said,  he  was  inclined  to  think 
that  Mr.  W.  would  form  a  different  estimate  on  the  subject,  were  he 
carefully  to  peruse  the  whole  of  the  New  Testament.  Mr.  Wilber- 
force replied  that  he  would  take  him  at  his  word,  and  read  it 
through  with  pleasure.  They  were  both  Greek  scholars,  and  in 
their  journey  they  perused  the  New  Testament  together.  That 
single  perusal  was  so  blessed  to  Mr.  Wilberforce,  that  he  was  revo- 
lutionized ;  he  became  a  new  man  ;  and  the  witty  songster,  the  joy 
and  crown  of  Doncaster  races,  proved  the  Christian  senator,  and  at 
length  became  the  able  advocate  for  abolishing  the  slave  trade. 

Conversion  of  Augustine. — In  the  spring  of  the  year  3t2, 
a  young  man  in  the  thirty-first  year  of  his  age,  in  evident  distress  of 
mind,  entered  into  his  garden  near  Milan.  The  sins  of  his  youth — 
a  youth  spent  in  sensuality  and  impiety — weighed  heavily  on  his 
soul.  Lying  under  a  fig-tree,  moaning  and  pouring  out  abundant 
tears,  he  heard,  from  a  neighboring  house,  a  young  voice  saying,  and 
repeating  in  rapid  succession,  "  Tolle,  lege,  Tolle  lege  !"  take  and 
read,  take  and  read.  Receiving  this  as  a  divine  admonition,  he 
returned  to  the  place  where  he  left  his  friend  Alypius  to  procure  the 
roll  of  St.  Paul's  epistles,  which  he  had,  a  short  time  before,  left 
with  him.  "  I  seized  the  roll,"  says  he,  in  describing  this  scene,  "  I 
opened  it,  and  read  in  silence  the  chapter  on  which  my  eyes  first 


100  CONVERSION    OF   EMINENT   PERSONS. 

alighted."  It  was  the  thh'teenth  of  Romans.  "  Let  us  walk  hon- 
estly, as  in  the  day  ;  not  in  riotino-  and  drunkenness,  not  in  cham- 
bering and  wantonness,  not  in  strife  and  envying.  But  put  ye  on 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  make  not  provision  for  the  flesh,  to  fulfill 
the  lusts  thereof."  All  was  decided  by  a  word.  "  I  did  not  want  to 
read  any  more,"  said  he  ;  "  nor  was  there  any  need  ;  every  doubt 
was  banished."  The  morning  star  had  risen  in  his  heart.  In  the 
language  of  Gaussen  :  "  Jesus  had  conquered  ;  and  the  grand  career 
of  Augustine,  the  holiest  of  the  fathers,  then  commenced. 


REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 


AND 


REVIVAL  INCIDENTS. 


The  Child-Witness. — A  little  German  girl,  about  twelve 

years  of  age,  in  the  city  of  P ,  TJ.  S.,  had  been  led  to  enter  a 

church,  and  while  there,  the  Lord  graciously  met  her,  and  converted 
her  soul.  Full  of  joy  and  wonder,  she  ran  home  to  tell  her  father, 
who  was  a  bigoted  Catholic,  what  a  Saviour  she  had  found  ;  but  to 
her  surprise,  he  became  very  angry,  beat  her  cruelly,  and  forbade 
the  mention  of  the  subject  again  in  his  house.  She  continued  to 
attend  church,  and  expressed  a  wish  to  join  the  people  of  God.  He 
told  her  if  she  did,  be  would  beat  her  to  death.  With  this  pros- 
pect, she  determined  to  do  her  duty,  putting  her  trust  in  Him  who 
hath  said,  "  I  will  never  leave  nor  forsake  thee."  When  she  re- 
turned home  and  told  her  father  what  she  had  done,  he  beat  her 
most  unmercifully,  and  drove  her  from  the  house,  telling  her  never 
to  return,  until  she  had  given  up  her  new-fangled  religion.  Thus 
forsaken  of  her  father,  the  Lord  took  her  up  ;  she  was  provided 
with  a  place  in  a  pious  family,  at  service,  reserving  to  herself  the  first 
Monday  in  every  month,  which  day  she  spent  in  distributing  tracts 
to  all  the  German  families  of  her  acquaintance,  and  whenever  per- 
mitted, she  prayed  with  them  before  she  left,  always  taking  her 
father's  house  in  her  way,  though  sure  of  being  beaten  and  driven 
from  it.  Month  after  month  she  offered  the  hardened  man  a  tract, 
at  the  same  time  entreating  him  to  think  of  his  poor  soul,  and  offer- 
ing to  pray  with  him.  Although  uniformly  driven  away,  with  severe 
blows,  she  said,  "  I  did  not  care  for  the  blows,  for,  sir,  my  poor 


102  EEMAEKABLE   CONVEKSIONS 

father's  soul  was  all  I  thought  of  or  cared  for."  In  this  course  she 
persevered,  how  long  do  you  think,  indolent  Christian?  not  one 
month,  which  many  think  too  long  to  wait  for  an  answer  to  prayer  ; 
but  eighteen  months,  without  seeing  any  fruit  of  her  labor.  Two 
months  before  I  met  her,  she  found,  on  visiting  her  father,  that  he 
was  in  tears  over  his  work ;  he  suffered  her  to  read,  converse,  and 
pray  without  interruption,  and  at  parting,  bade  her  come  again. 
The  next  month  he  was  even  more  tender,  and  on  the  day  I  first 
saw  her,  she  had  seen  him  again,  and  she  said,  "  Oh,  how  changed 
was  my  'poor  father !  with  tears  he  begged  me  to  forgive  him,  and 
pray  for  him.  I  told  him  I  had  laid  nothing  up  against  him,  and 
asked  him  to  pray  for  himself.  He  knelt  down  by  my  side,  but 
could  only  say,  '  0  Lord,  forgive,  forgive,  0  Lord,  forgive  ;'  and 
now,  sir,  I  am  sure  the  Lord  will  hear  and  convert  my  poor  father." 
The  next  evening,  on  entering  the  praying  circle,  I  recognized  the 
voice  of  the  little  German  girl  in  the  individual  who  was  addressing 
the  throne  of  grace.  Her  father  was  there,  inquiring  with  trembling 
eagerness  the  way  to  the  Saviour's  feet.  The  father  and  daughter 
left  the  room  together  that  night,  rejoicing  in  the  grace  which  had 
washed  away  their  stains. 

Conversion  of  a  Moralist. — Miranda  N.,  says  a  Christian 
minister,  was  about  18  years  of  age,  much  distinguished  for  perso- 
nal beauty,  but  more  for  uncommon  sweetness  of  disposition,  and 
great  amiableness  of  deportment.  There  was  not,  probably,  among 
all  the  people  of  my  charge,  one  whose  case  would  have  been  more 
promptly  cited,  and  perhaps  none  so  effectively,  to  disprove  the 
doctrine  of  the  entire  sinfulness  of  the  unregenerate  heart.  She  was 
deservedly  a  general  favorite.  She  seemed  to  entertain  the  kindest 
affection  towards  all,  and  every  one  who  knew  her  loved  her.  One 
evening  at  an  inquiry  meeting,  held  at  my  house,  I  noticed,  in  a 
full  room,  a  female  in  great  apparent  distress.  The  disturbance  she 
made  by  her  loud  sobs,  and  frequent  and  painful  interruption  of  the 
silence  of  the  room,  induced  me  to  pass  by  others  and  go  to  her  at 
once.  On  coming  to  her  scat,  I  was  not  a  little  surprised  to  find 
myself  by  the  side  of  Miranda.  The  first  inquiry  I  put  to  her  was 
this  :    "  AVhat  has  brought  you  here  M.  ?"     With  emphasis,  sho 


Ai^D   REVIVAL    INCIDENTS.  103 

replied,  "  My  sins,  sir."  With  a  view  to  test  the  reality  and  depth 
of  her  convictions,  I  then  said,  "  But  what  have  you  done  which 
makes  either  your  heart  or  your  life  appear  so  heinously  sinful  ?" 
At  this  second  question  she  broke  out  in  a  voice  that  reached  the 
extreme  part  of  the  room  and  thrilled  through  every  heart,  for  she 
was  known  and  loved  by  every  person  there, — "  I  hate  God,  and  I 

KNOW  IT.  I  HATE  CHRISTIANS,  AND  I  KNOW  IT.  I  HATE  MY  OWN 
BEING.       Oh    that    I    HAD    NEVER    BEEN    BORN  !"       As    shc  uttd'cd  this 

acknowledgment,  she  rose  and  left  the  room  in  irrepressible  agony. 

A  few  minutes  after  this,  while  walking  the  adjoining  room  in 
great  distress,  her  eye  lighted  upon  a  copy  of  Village  Hymns,  which 
lay  upon  the  sideboard.  She  eagerly  caught  it  up,  and  read  at  the 
first  page  to  which  she  opened,  these  words  : 

"  There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood, 
Drawn  from  Imnianuel's  veins ; 
And  sinners  plunged  beneath  that  flood, 
Lose  all  their  guilty  stains." 

As  she  finished  this  verse  she  dropped  the  book  and  exclaimed, 
"  I  have  found  my  Saviour.  This  is  the  Saviour  I  need.  0  precious 
Saviour  !"  and  many  other  expression  of  the  same  kind.  Her  enmity 
to  God  was  gone.     Her  burden  was  removed. 

Whitefield's  Brother  Converted. — Mr.  Whitefield,  bro- 
ther of  the  noted  preacher,  had  fallen  into  a  backslidden  state.  In 
conversation  with  the  Countess  of  Huntingdon  one  day,  he  said, 
"  My  lady,  I  know  what  you  say  is  true.  The  mercy  of  God  is 
infinite  :  I  see  it  clearly.  But,  ah  !  my  lady,  there  is  no  mercy  for 
me — I  am  a  wretch,  entirely  lost."  ''  I  am  glad  to  hear  it,  Mr. 
Whitefield,"  said  Lady  H.  "I  am  glad  at  my  heart  that  you  are  a 
lost  man."  He  looked  with  great  surprise.  "  What,  my  lady, 
glad  !  glad  at  your  heart  that  I  am  a  lost  man  ?"  "  Yes,  Mr. 
Whitefield,  truly  glad  ;  for  Jesus  Christ  came  into  the  world  to 
save  the  lost  1"  He  laid  down  his  cup  of  tea  on  the  table. 
"  Blessed  be  God  for  that,"  said  he,  "'Glory  to  God  for  that  word,'' 
he  exclaimed.  ''  Oh,  what  unusual  power  is  this  which  I  feel 
attending  it  !     Jesus  Christ  came  to  save  the  lost  !  then  I  have  a 


104  EEMAEKABLE   CONVEESIONS 

ray  of  hope,"  and  so  he  went  on.  As  he  finished  his  last  cup  of 
tea,  his  hand  trembled,  and  he  complained  of  illness.  He  went  out 
into  the  chapel  court  for  the  benefit  of  the  air,  but  staggered  to  the 
wall,  exclaiming,  "  I  am  very  ill."  Soon  after  he  was  brought  into 
the  house  he  expired. 

The  Bethel  Rock. — A  ship,  says  Rev.  John  Blain,  was 
wrecked  amongst  the  rocks  near  Cape  Horn.  While  the  winds 
fiercely  blowed,  and  the  foaming  billows  dashed  the  timbers  in 
pieces,  one  seaman  reached  a  lonely,  barren  rock.  The  day  passed 
slowly  away.  He  stretched  his  eye  to  the  east  and  west,  to  the 
north  and  south,  over  the  deep,  dark,  and  ever  restless  waters — ^but 
no  friendly  sail  appeared  !  The  sun  disappeared,  and  he  sat  down 
to  pass  in  solitude  the  lonely  night.  His  shipmates  were  cold  and 
silent  in  their  watery  graves.  The  waves  dashed  against  the  rock, 
the  winds  passed  swiftly  onward,  the  lamps  of  night  shed  their 
dismal  light  on  the  bosom  of  the  deep — but  no  human  voice  sounded 
in  his  ear,  no  brother's  hand  administered  to  his  wants.  Hunger 
and  thirst  made  strong  demands,  but  he  had  no  means  to  relieve 
them.  The  bread  and  the  water  were  entombed  with  his  compa- 
nions. Nor  had  he  any  consolation  to  draw  from  a  future  world. 
The  Bible  and  the  Redeemer  had  been  neglected,  and  he  was 
strangely  indifferent.  Another  day  came  and  passed,  and  another 
night.  On  the  third  night,  as  he  lay  on  his  back,  gazing  into  the 
starry  heavens,  he  began  to  think  about  God  and  eternity,  his  past 
life,  and  the  interests  of  his  soul.  But  all  was  dark.  His  skin  was 
peeling  from  his  face,  his  teeth  all  loose,  his  thirst  almost  intoler- 
able, and  death  seemed  to  stand  by  his  side.  He  had  never  prayed, 
nor  did  he  know  how  to  pray.  A  single  commandment  was  all  he 
remembered,  and  that  commandment  his  dear  mother  taught  him 
when  a  child.  And  how  should  he  meet  that  mother  and  his  God 
in  a  future  world  ?  His  sins  passed  in  review,  and  pressed  on  his 
guilty  conscience,  while  bitter  tears  of  repentance  began  to  roll 
down  his  scalded  cheeks.  Without  knowing  what  the  Lord  required 
of  him,  he  rose,  stood  on  his  knees,  lifted  his  feeble  hands  towards 
heaven,  and  there  on  that  lonely  rock,  far,  far  away  from  home  and 
friends,  he  submitted  all  to  God,  and  most  solemnly  promised,  if  his 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  105 

life  was  spared,  he  would  learn  and  do  whatever  God  required. 
From  that  consecrated  and  blessed  hour,  peace  flowed  into  his  soul 
— Christ  was  his  Saviour,  and  hope  entered  within  the  vail.  The 
next  day  the  life-boat  from  a  passing  ship  took  him  from  the  Bethel 
rock.  He  landed  in  Boston,  found  the  sailor's  friend  and  the  sailor's 
home,  and  listened  to  the  gospel  of  peace.  Father  Taylor  gave  him 
a  Bible,  which  he  read  with  prayerful  attention.  He  came  to  New 
York — visited  different  churches,  searched  for  truth,  remembered 
his  solemn  vow,  and  in  February,  1843,  while  I  was  preaching  in 
the  Baptist  Tabernacle,  he  offered  himself  to  the  church.  On  hear- 
ing his  experience,  every  heart  felt — every  eye  wept.  Brother 
William  W.  Everts  baptized  him,  welcomed  him  to  the  church,  and 
he  went  on  his  way  rejoicing. 

Doctor  Spring's  Discouragement. — Dr.  Spring,  of  New 
York,  once  related,  that  during  the  period  of  a  revival  of  religion  in 
that  city,  a  young  lady,  the  object  of  high  hope,  the  centre  of  wide 
influence,  capable  of  noble  things,  yet  careering  on  the  giddy  steep 
of  fashion  and  folly,  created  in  him  no  small  solicitude,  as  he  would 
have  to  give  an  account  for  her  soul,  every  avenue  to  which  seemed 
most  sedulously  guarded.  He  delayed  the  visit  of  counsel  and 
exhortation  ;  and  delayed,  till,  rebuked  by  conscience,  he  could  do 
so  no  longer.  As  soon  as  he  called,  and  was  ushered  into  the 
saloon,  the  first  and  only  person  whom  he  saw  was  this  young  lady, 
bathed  in  tears,  who  immediately  exclaimed,  "  My  dear  pastor, 
I  rejoice  to  see  you.  I  was  fearful  I  was  the  only  one  who  had 
escaped  your  friendly  notice."  What  a  rebuke  to  fear  !  What  an 
encouragement  to  hope,  and  to  action  ! 

"  It's  too  late  no"W,  Pa !" — During  a  series  of  religious 
meetings,  held  in  the  school-house  of  a  small  village,  a  very  little 
girl  became  much  interested  for  the  salvation  of  her  soul.  Her 
father,  a  hater  of  holiness,  who  lived  next  door  to  the  place  of 
meeting,  finding  that  his  little  daughter  was  much  interested  in  the 
meetings,  and  had  been  forward  to  be  prayed  for,  strictly  forbade 
her  again  entering  the  "house  of  prayer."  The  poor  little  girl  was 
much  oppressed,  and  knew  not  what  to  do,  but  obeyed  her  fathe?« 


lOG  KEMAEKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

imtiltbe  next  meeting  was  nearly  half  through,  then-elipprng  out 
without  his  knowledge,  mid  getting  through  a  hole  iu  tlie  back 
yard  fence,  she  hastily  ran  to  the  meeting.  It  was  some  time  before 
her  father  missed  her,  but  when  he  found  her  gone,  he  went  imme- 
diately to  the  meeting,  where  she  was  on  her  knees,  with  others 
whom  the  people  of  God  were  praying  for.  So  enraged  was  he, 
that  he  went  directly  forward,  and  took  her  in  his  arms,  to  carry 
her  from  the  place.  As  he  raised  her  from  her  knees,  she  looked  up 
with  a  heavenly  smile,  and  said,  "  It  is  too  late  now,  pa  ;  I  have 
given  my  heart  to  the  Saviour."  This  was  too  much  for  the  hard- 
ened sinner  :  he  too  suuk  on  his  knees,  while  he  was  prayed  for  ; 
and  very  soon  he  found  that  Saviour  he  had  in  vain  attempted  to 
shut  out  from  his  daughter's  heart. 

A  Singular  Revival. — In  the  township  of  R.,  in  the  western 
part  of  New  York,  says  a  Avriter  in  the  Christian  Watchman,  with- 
out any  special  or  known  cause,  numbers  of  individuals  were  sud- 
denly aroused  to  anxious  inquiry  and  trembling  respecting  their 
souls.  Some  iu  different  parts  of  the  town,  without  any  knowledge 
of  the  affections  of  others,  were  alarmed  by  the  consideration  of  their 
sins.  Two  men,  from  different  directions,  came  to  a  clergyman  in 
the  morning,  asking,  What  shall  we  do  ?  About  nine  o'clock  in  tlie 
same  morning,  one  of  the  members  of  the  church  called  upon  the 
same  clergyman,  to  go  and  visit  several  anxious  individuals  in  his 
neighborhood  ;  and  before  night  it  was  ascertained,  that  almost  the 
whole  population  of  a  considerable  district,  were  solemnly,  and  with 
weeping,  asking  the  prayers  and  instructions  of  the  people  of  God. 

Accompanied  by  the  pastor,  on  that  and  the  subsequent  day,  we 
visited  from  house  to  house  ;  but  wherever  we  went  the  Spirit  had 
preceded  us.  The  whole  region  was  a  Bochlm.  A  solemn  awe  per- 
vaded our  soul,  and  we  could  not  but  feel  that  "  God  is  in  very  deed 
in  our  midst." 

Work  of  Grace  in  Ceylon. — During  a  remarkable  effu- 
sion of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  tlie  several  stations  on  this  island,  the 
following  scene  occurred  at  Panditeripo  : 

On  the  13th  of  February,  1824,  while  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scudder  were 


Am)  KEYIVAL   INCIDENTS.  107 

a1)scnt,  and  after  the  boys  of  the  boarding'-scliool  had  gone  to  tlicir 
room,  and  were  about  to  lie  down  to  sleep,  AVhelpley  (a  native 
member  of  the  church),  was  induced  to  exhort  them,  most  earnestly, 
to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come.  They  were  roused  and  could 
not  sleep.  By  little  companies,  they  went  out  into  the  garden  to 
pray,  and  the  voice  of  supplication  was  soon  heard  in  every  quarter, 
each  one  or  each  company  praying  and  weeping  as  if  entirely  alone. 
More  than  thirty  were  thus  engaged  in  a  small  garden.  The  cry 
was,  "  What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved  ?"  and  "  Lord,  send  thy  Spirit." 
In  about  an  hour  Dr.  Scudder  returned,  and  after  waiting  awhile, 
rang  the  bell  for  the  boys  to  come  in.  They  came,  and  with  weep- 
ing proposed  the  inquiry,  "  What  shall  we  do  to  be  saved  ?"  The 
next  day  they  seemed  unmindful  of  everything  but  the  salvation  of 
their  souls.  And  soon,  under  the  judicious  instructions  they  received, 
more  than  twenty  at  this  place  gave  encouraging  evidence  of  con- 
version. This  was  a  specimeii  of  the  displays  of  divine  mercy  wit- 
nessed at  the  several  stations  of  the  mission. 

The  "  Hell-Fire  Club." — This  was  the  name  of  a  society  in 
Bristol,  England,  the  members  of  which  always  endeavored  to  coin 
a  new  oath  for  each  evening  on  which  they  met,  the  chairman 
deciding  who  bad  the  preference.  As  one  of  them  was  walking 
towards  the  club  in  the  evening,  he  was  asking  himself  what  sin  he 
had  not  committed,  resolving  he  would  commit  it  before  he  went  to 
bed.  HLs  attention  was  arrested  by  the  lights  of  the  chapel,  and  the 
voice  of  the  preacher.  After  some  hesitation,  whether  he  should 
enter  the  chapel  for  sport  now,  or  as  he  returned  from  the  club,  he 
determined  on  the  former.  lie  entered  as  the  preacher  was  repeat- 
ing his  text,  "  All  manner  of  sin  and  blasphemy  shall  be  forgiven 
unto  men  ;  and  whosoever  speaketh  a  word  against  the  Son  of  man, 
it  shall  be  forgiven  him  :  but  whosoever  speaketh  against  the  Holy 
Ghost,  it  shall  not  be  forgiven  him,  neither  in  this  world,  neither  in 
the  world  to  come."  He  described  the  nature  of  the  sin  ;  the  rea- 
son why  it  was  unpardonable  ;  showed  who  had  not  committed  it, 
and  proved  that  their  sins  might  be  pardoned.  The  man  went  home, 
locked  himself  in  his  bedroom,  fell  on  his  knees,  thanked  God  he 
was  out  of  hell,  and  prayed  for  the  pardon  which  he  was  delighted 


lOS  KEMARKABLE    CONVEESIONS 

to  know  he  might  yet  receive,  though  he  had  often  wished  to  die, 
that  he  might  know  the  worst  of  hell.  He  read,  prayed,  heard  the 
gospel,  looked  by  ftiith  to  Christ,  and  soon  enjoyed  a  sense  of  par- 
don, and  the  privilege  of  friendship  with  God. 

Mr.  Whitefield  and  the  Trumpeter.— On  one  occasion, 
during  Whitefield's  residence  in  America,  a  black  trumpeter,  be- 
longing to  an  English  regiment,  resolved  to  interrupt  him  during  a 
discourse  which  he  was  expected  to  deliver  in  the  open  air.  At  the 
hour  appointed  for  the  sermon,  he  repaired  to  the  field  where  it  was 
to  be  preached,  carrying  his  trumpet  with  him  on  purpose  to  blow 
it  with  all  his  might  about  the  middle  of  the  sermon.  He  took  his 
stand  in  front  of  the  minister,  and  at  no  great  distance.  The  con- 
course that  attended  became  very  great,  and  those  who  were 
towards  the  extremity  of  the  crowd  pressed  forward,  in  order  to 
hear  more  distinctly,  which  caused  such  a  pressure  at  the  place 
where  the  trumpeter  stood,  that  he  found  it  impossible  to  raise  up 
the  arm  which  held  the  trumpet  at  the  time  he  intended  to  blow  it. 
He  attempted  to  extricate  himself  from  the  crowd,  but  found  this 
equally  impossible,  so  that  he  was  kept  within  hearing  of  the  gospel 
as  securely  as  if  he  had  been  chained  to  the  spot.  In  a  short  time, 
his  attention  was  arrested,  and  he  became  so  powerfully  affected  by 
what  the  preacher  presented  to  his  mind,  that  he  was  seized  with  an 
agony  of  despair,  and  was  carried  to  a  house  in  the  neighborhood. 
When  the  service  was  over,  he  was  visited  by  Mr.  Whitefield,  who 
tendered  some  seasonable  counsels  ;  and  the  poor  trumpeter  from 
that  time  became  an  altered  man. 

"  Sir,  who  have  you  been  talking  with  ?" — It  was 

the  favored  lot  of  a  poor  little  girl  in  Vermont,  about  eight  years  of 
age,  to  fall  into  a  family  where  daily  prayers  were  offered  up  to 
Almighty  God.  Prayer  she  was  unacquainted  with.  At  home  she 
never  heard  a  prayer.  An  astonishment  seized  her,  when  she  saw 
her  master,  night  and  morning,  standing  in  one  corner  of  the  room, 
talking,  as  she  termed  it,  with  something  that  she  could  not  see. 
An  anxiety  swelled  in  her  little  bosom  to  know  who  it  could  be. 
One  morning,  after  her  master  had  been  talking  with  tlie  unknown 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  100 

being,  she  stepped  up  before  him,  and  said,  "  Sir,  who  have  you  been 
tallving  with  this  morning  !"  "  I  have  been  trying  to  tullv  with 
God."  "  God  I"  said  she,  with  astonishment,  "  where  is  he  ?  where 
does  he  live  ?"  etc.  Many  questions  of  a  similar  nature  she  put 
with  much  interest  and  feeling,  to  which  her  master  gave  her  such 
answers  as  were  calculated  to  awaken  the  liveliest  feelings  of  her 
mind,  in  regard  to  Jehovah.  After  she  had  learned  all  her  little 
mind  could  contain  of  divine  things,  she  desired  to  go  home  and  see 
her  parents,  with  an  earnestness  that  could  not  be  resisted.  Go  she 
must ;  leave  was  granted  ;  she  went  home  to  her  father's  cottage,  a 
place  where  prayer  was  not  wont  to  be  made,  with  her  little  bosom 
beating  with  a  high  tone  of  pious  feeling  in  view  of  the  importance 
of  prayer.  She  went  to  her  father,  and  said,  "  Father,  pray."  She 
urged  with  warmth  a  compliance  ;  but  he  utterly  refused.  She  then 
went  to  her  mother  and  asked  her  to  pray  ;  but  with  no  better  sue- 
cess.  She  could  not  endure  it  any  longer  ;  her  feelings  must  vent 
themselves  in  words.  She  said,  "  Let  us  pray."  She  knelt  down 
and  prayed.  In  answer  to  her  prayer,  both  of  her  parents  were 
brought  under  conviction,  which  terminated  in  hopeful  conversion  to 
God.  And  this  was  the  beginning  of  an  extensive  revival  of 
religion. 

The  Discouraged  Father. — The  Kev.  A.  D.  Merrill  states 
that  there  was  once  a  pious  father  with  seven  children,  who  had 
maintained  the  worship  of  God  in  his  family,  until  all  his  children 
had  grown  up  to  manhood,  and  womanhood,  and  not  one  of  them 
had  been  as  yet  converted  to  God.  At  last  the  old  man's  faith  be- 
gan to  fail,  in  relation  to  the  promise  ;  and  growing  "  weary  and 
faint  in  his  mind,"  he  resolved  to  give  up  his  family  worship,  and 
confine  his  devotions  to  the  closet,  and  to  leave  his  children  to  do  as 
they  pleased.  But  before  he  finally  proceeded  to  do  this,  he  con- 
cluded to  call  his  children  together  once  again,  to  pray  with  them, 
and  explain  to  them  his  reasons  for  this  course.  Being  assembled, 
and  taking  up  the  "  old  family  Bible,"  from  which  he  had  so  often 
read  to  them  "  the  words  of  eternal  life,"  he  thus  addressed  them  : 
"  My  children,  you  know  that  from  your  earliest  recollection  I  have 
been  accustomed  to  call  you  together  around  this  altar,  for  family 


110  REMAHKABLE   COK VERSIONS 

worship.  I  have  endeavored  to  instruct  you  in  the  ways  of  the 
Lord,  and  to  imbue  your  minds  with  the  truth.  But  you  have  all 
grown  up,  and  not  one  of  you  is  converted  to  God.  You  are  yet  in 
your  sins,  and  show  no  signs  of  penitence.  I  feel  discouraged,  and 
have  concluded  to  make  no  further  efforts  for  your  salvation — to 
demolish  my  family  altar — to  confine  my  own  devotions  to  my  closet, 
and  thus  to  endeavor  still  to  work  out  my  own  salvation,  while  I 
leave  you  to  yourselves."  Upon  his  speaking  thus,  first  one  'and 
then  another  fell  upon  their  knees,  until  they  were  all  bowed  before 
God,  and  besought  him  that  he  would  not  do  as  he  had  resolved, 
but  that  he  would  still  continue  to  pray  for  them,  and  that  he  would 
do  it  now  ;  for  they  were  now  ready  to  give  their  hearts  to  God. 
He  bowed  with  them.  The  Spirit  descended  according  to  the  pro- 
mise, and  before  they  rose  from  their  knees,  they  were  all  made 
happy  in  God.  One  of  their  number,  who  was  married  and  away 
from  home,  upon  returning  on  a  visit,  and  hearmg  what  great  things 
the  Lord  had  done  for  the  rest  of  the  family,  likewise  immediately 
submitted  to  God,  and  thus  were  they  all  saved,  and  the  covenant 
promise  fulfilled. 

.  A  Chain  of  Influence. — The  31st  of  January,  1841,  when 
Mr.  Jay,  of  Bath,  England,  completed  fifty  years  of  his  ministry,  it 
was  observed  by  his  people  as  a  Jubilee.  On  that  occasion,  the 
Eev.  Timothy  East,  of  Birmingham,  stated,  that  a  sermon  Mr.  Jay 
preached  in  Loudon  in  the  early  part  of  his  ministry,  was  blessed  to 
the  conversion  of  a  thoughtless  and  dissolute  young  man,  who 
became  a  minister.  A  sermon  preached  by  that  minister  thirty-nine 
years  ago,  was  the  arrow  of  the  Almighty  that  brought  Mr.  East  to 
repentance,  just  as  he  had  determined  to  leave  his  native  country 
forever.  And  a  sermon  preached  by  Mr.  East  twenty-seven  years 
ago,  in  London,  was  the  means  of  the  conversion  of  a  careless  and 
dissipated  young  man,  who  was  John  Williams,  the  late  missionary 
to  the  South  Seas. 

Dr.  Beecher's  Sermon  to  one  Hearer.— Dr.  Bcecher 
once  engaged  to  preach  for  a  country  minister  on  exchange,  and  the 
Sabbath  proved  to  be  one  excessively  stormy,  cold,  and  uncomforta- 


AND   REVIVAL   IXCmENTS.  Ill 

ble.  It  was  Iq  mid- winter,  and  the  snow  was  piled  all  along  in  the 
roads,  so  as  to  make  the  passage  very  difficult.  Still  the  minister 
urged  his  horse  through  the  drifts,  put  the  animal  into  a  shed,  and 
went  in.  As  yet  there  was  no  person  in  the  house,  and  after  look- 
ing about,  the  old  gentleman — then  young — took  his  seat  in  the  pul- 
pit. Soon  the  door  opened,  and  a  single  individual  walked  up  the 
aisle,  looked  about,  and  took  a  seat.  The  hour  came  for  commenc- 
ing service,  but  no  more  hearers. 

Whether  to  preach  to  such  an  audience,  was  a  question — and  it 
was  one  that  Lyman  Beecher  was  not  long  deciding.  He  felt  that 
he  had  a  duty  to  perform,  and  he  had  no  right  to  refuse  to  do  it, 
because  only  one  man  could  reap  the  benefit  of  it ;  and,  accordingly, 
he  went  through  all  the  services,  praying,  singing,  preaching,  and 
the  benediction,  with  only  one  hearer.  And  when  all  was  over,  he 
hastened  down  from  the  desk  to '  speak  to  his  congregation,  but  he 
had  departed. 

A  circumstance  so  rare  was  referred  to  occasionally,  but  twenty 
years  after,  it  was  brought  to  the  doctor's  mind  quite  strangely. 
Travelling  somewhere  in  Ohio,  the  doctor  alighted  from  the  stage 
one  day  in  a  pleasant  village,  when  a  gentleman  stepped  up  and 
spoke  to  him,  familiarly  calling  him  by  name.  "  I  do  not  remember 
you,"  said  the  doctor,  "  I  suppose  not,"  said  the  stranger  ;  "  but. 
we  once  spent  two  hours  together  in  a  house  alone  in  a  storm."  "  I 
do  not  recall  it,  sir,"  added  the  old  man  ;  "  pray,  when  was  it  V 
"  Do  you  remember  preaching,  twenty  years  ago,  in  such  a  place,  to 
a  single  person  ?"  "  Yes,  yes,"  said  the  doctor,  grasping  his  hand, 
"I  do,  indeed,  and  if  you  are  the  man,  I  have  been  wishing  to  see 
you  ever  since."  "  I  am  the  man,  sir  ;  and  that  sermon  saved  my 
soul,  made  a  minister  of  me,  and  yonder  is  my  church  I  The  con- 
verts of  that  sermon,  sir,  are  all  over  Ohio." 

Guthrie  and  the  Papist. — Mr.  Guthrie,  an  eminent  minis- 
ter in  Scotland,  was  one  evening  travelling  home  very  late.  Havin^r 
lost  his  way  on  a  moor,  he  laid  the  reins  on  the  neck  of  his  horse, 
and  committed  himself  to  the  direction  of  Providence.  After  long 
travelling  over  ditches  and  fields,  the  horse  brought  him  to  a 
farmer's  house,  into  which  he  went,  and  requested  permission  to  sit 


112  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

by  the  fire  till  mornings  which  was  granted.  A  popish  priest  was 
administering  extreme  unction  to  the  mistress  of  the  house,  who  was 
dying.  Mr.  Guthrie  said  nothing  till  the  priest  had  retired  :  then 
he  went  forward  to  the  dying  woman,  and  asked  her  if  she  enjoyed 
peace  in  the  prosjDect  of  death,  in  consequence  of  what  the  priest 
had  said  and  done  to  her.  She  answered,  that  she  did  not ;  on 
which  he  spoke  to  her  of  salvation  through  the  atoning  blood  of  the 
Eedeemer.  The  Lord  taught  her  to  understand,  and  enabled  her  to 
believe  the  message  of  mercy,  and  she  died  triumphing  in  Jesus 
Christ  her  Saviour.  After  witnessing  this  astonishing  scene, 
Mr.  Guthrie  mounted  his  horse,  and  rode  home.  On  his  arrival, 
he  told  Mrs.  Guthrie  he  had  seen  a  great  wonder  during  the 
night.  "  I  came,"  said  he,  ''  to  a  farm-house,  where  I  found  a 
woman  in  a  state  of  nature  ;  I  saw  her  in  a  state  of  grace  ;  and 
left  her  in  a  state  of  glory." 

Howe  and  his  Enemy. — When  the  melancholy  state  of  the 
times  compelled  this  excellent  man  to  quit  the  public  charge  of  his 
beloved  congregation  at  Torrington,  in  Devonshire,  impressed  with  a 
sense  of  duty,  he  embraced  every  opportunity  of  preaching  the  word 
of  life.  He  and  Mr.  Flavel  used  frequently  to  conduct  their  secret 
ministrations  at  midnight  in  different  houses  in  the  north  of  Devon- 
shire. One  of  the  principal  of  these  was  Hudscott,  an  ancient 
mansion  belonging  to  the  family  of  Rolle,  between  Torrington  and 
Southmolton.  Yet,  even  here,  the  observant  eye  of  malevolence 
was  upon  them.  Mr.  Howe  had  been  officiating  there,  in  a  dark 
and  tempestuous  wintry  night,  when  an  alarm  was  made  that  infor- 
mation had  been  given,  and  a  warrant  granted  to  apprehend  him. 
It  was  judged  prudent  for  him  to  quit  the  house  ;  but  in  riding  over 
a  large  common,  he  and  his  servant  missed  their  way.  After  several 
fruitless  efforts  to  recover  it,  the  attendant  went  forward  to  seek  for 
a  habitation,  where  they  might  either  find  directions  or  a  lodging. 
He  soon  discovered  a  mansion,  and  received  a  cheerful  invitation  to 
rest  there  for  the  night.  But  how  great  was  Mr.  Howe's  surprise, 
to  find,  on  his  arrival,  that  the  house  belonged  to  his  most  inveterate 
enemy,  a  country  magistrate,  who  had  often  ^breathed  the  most 
implacable  vengeance  against  him,  and,  as  he  had  reason  to  believe. 


AND   EEVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  113 

was  well  acquainted  with  the  occasion  of  his  travelling  at  such  an 
hour.  However,  he  put  the  best  face  he  could  upon  it,  and  even 
mentioned  his  name  and  residence  to  the  gentleman,  trusting  to 
Providence  for  the  result.  His  host  ordered  supper  to  be  provided, 
and  entered  into  a  lengthened  conversation  with  his  guest ;  and  was 
so  delighted  with  his  company,  that  it  was  a  very  late  hour  before 
he  could  permit  him  to  retire  to  his  chamber.  In  the  morning, 
Mr.  Howe  expected  to  be  accosted  with  a  commitment,  and  sent  to 
Exeter  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  he  was  received  by  the  family  at 
breakfast  with  a  very  hospitable  welcome.  After  mutual  civilities, 
he  departed  to  his  own  abode,  greatly  wondering  to  himself  at  the 
kindness  of  a  man  from  whom  he  had  before  dreaded  so  much. 

Not  long  after,  the  gentleman  sent  for  Mr,  Howe,  who  found  him 
confined  to  his  bed  by  sickness,  and  still  more  deeply  wounded  with 
the  sense  of  sin.  He  acknowledged  that,  when  Mr.  Howe  came  first 
to  his  door,  he  inwardly  rejoiced  that  he  had  an  opportunity  of 
exercising  his  malice  upon  him,  but  that  his  conversation  and  his 
manner  insensibly  awed  him  into  respect.  He  had  long  ruminated 
on  the  observations  which  had  fallen  from  the  man  of  God,  and  was 
become  a  penitent,  earnestly  anxious  for  the  blessings  of  eternal 
life.  From  that  sickness  he  recovered,  became  an  eminent  Christian, 
a  friend  to  the  conscientious,  and  an  intimate  companion  of  the  man 
whom  he  had  threatened  with  his  vengeance. 

Say  your  Prayers  in  Fair  Weather.— A  sea  captain 
of  a  profligate  character,  who  commanded  a  vessel  trading  between 
Liverpool  and  America,  during  the  last  war,  once  took  on  board  a 
man  as  a  common  sailor,  to  serve  during  the  voyage,  just  as  he  was 
leaving  port.  The  new  comer  was  soon  found  to  be  of  a  most  quar- 
relsome, untractable  disposition,  a  furious  blasphemer,  and,  when  an 
opportunity  offered,  a  drunkard.  Besides  all  these  disqualifications, 
he  was  wholly  ignorant  of  nautical  affairs,  or  counterfeited  ignorance 
to  escape  duty.  In  short,  he  was  the  bane  and  plague  of  the  vessel, 
and  refused  obstinately  to  give  any  account  of  himself,  or  his  family, 
or  past  life. 

At  length  a  violent  storm  arose,  all  hands  were  piped  upon  deck, 
and  all,  as  the  captain  thought,  were  too  few  to  save  the  ship. 


114  EEMAKKABLE   CONTERSIONS 

When  the  men  were  mustered  to  their  quarters,  the  sturdy  blas- 
phemer was  missing,  and  my  friend  went  below  to  seek  for  him  ; 
great  was  his  surprise  at  finding  him  on  his  knees,  repeating  the 
Lord's  prayer  with  wonderful  rr.pidity,  over  and  over  again,  as  if  he 
had  bound  himself  to  countless  reiterations.  Vexed  at  what  he 
deemed  hypocrisy  or  cowardice,  he  shook  him  roughly  by  the  collar, 
exclaimiug,  "  say  your  prayers  in- fair  weather."  The  man  rose  up, 
observing,  in  a  low  voice,  "  God  grant  I  may  ever  see  fair  weather 
to  say  them." 

In  a  few  hours  the  storm  happily  abated,  a  week  more  brought 
them  to  harbor,  and  an  incident  so  trivial  passed  quickly  away  from 
the  memory  of  the  captain  ;  the  more  easily,  as  the  man  in  question 
was  paid  off  the  day  after  landing,  and  appeared  not  again. 

Four  years  more  had  elapsed,  during  which,  though  the  captain 
had  twice  been  shipwrecked,  and  was  grievously  hurt  by  the  falling 
of  a  spar,  he  pursued  without  amendment  a  life  of  profligacy  and  con- 
tempt of  God.  At  the  end  of  this  period,  he  arrived  in  the  port  of 
New  York,  after  a  very  tedious  and  dangerous  voyage  from  England. 

It  was  on  a  Sabbath  morning,  and  the  streets  were  thronged 
with  persons  proceeding  to  the  several  houses  of  worship,  with 
which  that  city  abounds — but  the  captain  was  bent  on  far  other 
occupation,  designing  to  drown  the  recollection  of  perils  and  deliver- 
ances, in  a  celebrated  tavern  which  he  had  too  long,  and  too  often, 
frequented. 

As  he  walked  leisurely  towards  this  goal,  he  encountered  a  very 
dear  friend,  a  quondam  associate  of  many  a  thoughtless  hour. 
Salutations  over,  the  captain  seized  him  by  the  arm,  declaring  that 
he  should  accompany  him  to  the  hotel.  "  I  will  do  so,"  replied  the 
other,  with  great  calmness,  "  on  condition  that  you  come  with  me 
first  for  a  single  hour  into  this  house  (a  church),  and  thank  God  for 
his  mercies  to  you  on  the  deep.  The  captain  was  ashamed  to  refuse, 
so  the  two  friends  entered  the  temple  together.  Already  were  all 
the  seats  occupied,  and  a  dense  crowd  filled  the  aisle  ;  and  by  dint  of 
personal  exertion,  they  succeeded  in  reaching  a  position  right  in  front 
of  the  pulpit,  at  about  five  yards  distance.  The  preacher,  one  of  the 
most  popular  of  the  day,  riveted  the  attention  of  the  entire  congre- 
gation, including  the  captain  himself,  to  whom  his  features  and  voice, 


AND   REVIVAL   ESTCIDENTS.  115 

though  he  could  not  assign  any  time  or  place  of  previous  meeting, 
seemed  not  wholly  unknown,  particularly  when  he  spoke  with  anima- 
tion. At  length  the  preacher's  eye  fell  upon  the  spot  where  the  two 
friends  stood.  He  suddenly  paused — still  gazing  upon  the  captain, 
as  if  to  make  himself  sure  that  he  labored  under  no  optical  delusion 
— and  after  a  silence  of  more  than  a  minute,  pronounced  with  a 
voice  that  shook  the  building,  "  say  your  prayers  in  fair  weather" 

The  audience  were  lost  in  amazement,  nor  was  it  until  a  considera" 
ble  time  had  elapsed,  that  the  preacher  recovered  sufficient  self- 
possession  to  recount  the  incident  with  which  the  reader  is  already 
acquainted,  adding,  with  deep  emotion,  that  the  words  which  his 
captain  uttered  in  the  storm,  had  clung  to  him  by  day  and  by  night 
after  his  landing,  as  if  an  angel  had  been  charged  with  the  duty  of 
repeating  them  in  his  ears — that  he  felt  the  holy  call  as  coming 
direct  from  above,  to  do  the  work  of  his  crucified  Master — that  he 
had  studied  at  college  for  the  ministry,  and  was  now,  through  grace, 
such  as  they  saw  and  heard. 

At  the  conclusion  of  this  affecting  address,  he  called  on  the 
audience  to  join  in  prayer  with  himself,  that  the  same  w^ords  might 
1)0  blessed  in  turn  to  him  who  first  had  used  them.  But  God  had 
outrun  their  petitions — the  captain  was  already  His  child,  before 
his  former  shipmate  had  ceased  to  tell  his  story.  The  power  of  the 
Spirit  had  wrought  effectually  upon  him,  and  subduced  every  lofty 
imagination.  And  so,  when  the  people  dispersed,  he  exchanged  the 
hotel  for  the  house  of  the  preacher,  with  whom  he  tarried  six  weeks, 
and  parted  from  him  to  pursue  his  profession,  with-a  heart  devoted 
to  the  service  of  his  Saviour,  and  w4th  holy  and  happy  assurances 
which  advancing  years  hallowed,  strengthened  and  sanctified. 

The  Dumb  Sermon. — The  Rev.  William  Tennent  once  took 
much  pains  to  prepare  a  sermon,  to  convince  a  celebrated  infidel  of 
the  truth  of  Christianity.  But,  in  attempting  to  deliver  this  labored 
discourse,  he  was  so  confused,  as  to  be  compelled  to  stop,  and  close 
the  service  by  prayer.  This  unexpected  failure,  in  one  w'ho  had 
so  often  astonished  the  unbeliever  with  the  force  of  his  eloquence, 
led  the  infidel  to  reflect  that  Mr.  T.  had  been,  at  other  times,  aided 
by  a  Divine  power.     This  reflection  proved  the  means  of  his  conver- 


116  REMARiCAJJLE   CONVERSIONS 

sion.  Thus  God  accomplished  by  silence  what  his  servant  wished  to 
effect  by  persuasive  preaching.  Mr.  Tennent  used  afterwards  to 
say,  his  dumb  sermon  was  one  of  the  most  profitable  sermons  that  he 
had  ever  delivered. 

The  Mathematician  Confounded. — A  young  man,  who 
had  graduated  at  one  of  the  first  colleges  in  America,  and  was  cele- 
brated for ^ his  literary  attainments,  particularly  his  knowledge  of 
mathematics,  settled  in  a  village  where  a  faithful  minister  of  the 
gospel  was  stationed.  It  was  not  long  before  the  clergyman  met 
with  him  in  one  of  his  evening  walks,  and  after  some  conversation, 
as  they  were  about  to  part,  addressed  him  as  follows  :  ''  I  have 
heard  that  you  are  celebrated  for  your  mathematical  skill  ;  I  have 
a  problem  which  I  wish  you  to  solve."  "What  is  it  ?"  eagerly 
inquired  the  young  man.  The  clergyman  answered,  with  a  solemn 
tone  of  voice,  "  What  shall  it  profit  a  man,  if  he  shall  gain  the 
whole  world,  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?"  The  youth  returned  home, 
and  endeavored  to  shake  off  the  impression  fastened  on  him  by  the 
problem  proposed  to  him,  but  in  vain.  In  the  giddy  round  of  plea- 
sure, in  his  business,  and  in  his  studies,  the  question  still  forcibly  re- 
turned to  him,  "  What  shall  it  profit  a  man,  if  he  shall  gain  the 
whole  world,  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?"  It  finally  resulted  in  his  con- 
version, and  he  became  an  able  advocate  and  preacher  of  that  gos- 
pel which  he  once  rejected. 

The  Christian's  Gloomy  Death. — A  pious  parent  had 
three  sons,  who,  notwithstanding  all  his  admonitions  and  instruc- 
tions, mingled  with  many  prayers  and  tears,  grew  up  to  manhood  in 
skepticism  and  profligacy.  The  father  lay  dying  ;  and,  conceiving 
that  it  might  perhaps  produce  a  good  impression  on  the  minds  of  his 
abandoned  children,  to  let  them  see  how  a  Christian  dies,  the  friends 
of  the  family  introduced  them  to  the  bedside  of  their  expiring  pa- 
rent. But,  to  their  unspeakable  grief,  the  good  man  died  without 
any  expressions  of  Christian  confidence,  and  appeared  destitute  of 
those  strong  consolations  which  believers  in  Jesus  usually  experience 
in  the  closing  scene.  It  was  now  apprehended  that  the  effect  of  this 
melancholy  circumstance  on  the  young  men  would  be  to  confirm 


AND   EEVrVAL.   INCroENTS.  117 

them  in  their  prejudice  against  religion,  and  afford  them,  in  their 
opuiiou,  a  sufficient  evidence  that  it  is  all  a  cunningly  devised  fable. 
However,  it  was  not  so  :  the  ways  of  God  are  not  as  our  ways, 
neither  are  his  thoughts  as  our  thoughts.  A  few  days  after  the 
funeral,  the  younger  brother  entered  the  room  in  which  the  other 
two  were  ;  and  observing  that  he  had  been  weeping,  they  inquired 
the  cause  of  his  grief.  "  I  have  been  thinking,"  said  he,  "  of  the 
death  of  our  father."  "Ah,"  said  they,  "  a  dismal  death  it  was  ; 
what  truth  or  reality  can  there  be  in  religion,  when  such  a  man  as 
he  died  in  such  a  state  of  mind  ?"  "  It  has  not  affected  me  in  this 
way,"  replied  the  younger  brother  ;  "  we  all  know  what  a  holy  life 
our  father  led,  and  what  a  gloomy  death  he  died  ;  now  I  have  been 
thinking,  how  dreadful  our  death  must  be,  who  lead  such  a  wicked 
life  1"  The  observation  was  like  an  arrow  to  their  consciences ;  and 
they  began  to  be  alarmed.  They  repaired  to  the  ordinances  of  re- 
ligion, which,  in  their  father's  life  time  they  had  neglected,  and  ulti- 
mately became  as  eminent  for  piety  as  their  exemplary  parent  had 
been. 

The  Actress's  Last  Appearance. — An  actress  in  one  of 
the  English  provincial  or  country  theatres,  was  one  day  passing 
through  the  streets  of  the  town  in  which  she  then  resided,  when  her 
attention  was  attracted  by  the  sound  of  voices,  which  she  heard  in  a 
poor  cottage  before  her.  Curiosity  prompted  her  to  look  in  at  an 
open  door,  when  she  saw  a  few  poor  people  sitting  together,  one  of 
whom,  at  the  moment  of  her  observation,  was  giving  out  the  follow- 
ing hymn,  which  the  others  joined  in  singing  : 

"  Depth  of  mercy  !  can  there  be 
Mercy  still  reserved  for  me  ?" 

The  tune  was  sweet  and  simple,  but  she  heeded  it  not.  The  words 
had  riveted  her  attention,  and  she  stood  motionless,  until  she  was 
invited  to  enter,  by  the  woman  of  the  house,  who  had  observed  her 
standing  at  the  door.  She  complied,  and  remained  during  a  prayer 
which  was  offered  up  by  one  of  the  little  company  ;  and  uncoutK 
as  the  expressions  sounded,  perhaps,  to  her  ears,  they  carried  with 


118  EEMAK^ABLE   CONYEESIONS 

them  a  conviction  of  sincerity  on  the  part  of  the  person  then  em- 
ployed. She  quitted  the  cottage,  but  the  words  of  the  hymn  fol- 
lowed her.  She  could  not  banish  them  from  her  mind,  and  at  last 
she  resolved  to  procure  the  book  which  contained  it.  She  did  so, 
and  the  more  she  read  it,  the  more  decided  her  serious  impressions 
became.  She  attended  the  ministry  of  the  gospel,  read  her  hitherto 
neglected  and  despised  Bible,  and  bowed  herself  in  humility  and 
contrition  of  heart,  before  Him  whose  mercy  she  now  felt  she  needed, 
whose  sacrifices  are  those  of  a  broken  heart  and  a  contrite  spirit, 
and  who  has  declared,  that  w^ith  such  sacrifices  he  is  well  pleased. 

Her  profession  she  determined  at  once  and  forever  to  renounce  ; 
and  for  some  little  time  excused  herself  from  appearing  on  the  stage, 
without,  however,  disclosing  her  change  of  sentiments  or  making 
know  her  resolution  finally  to  leave  it. 

The  manager  of  the  theatre  called  upon  her  one  morning,  and  re- 
quested her  to  sustain  the  principal  character  in  a  new  play  which  was 
to  be  performed  the  next  week  for  his  benefit.  She  had  frequently 
performed  this  character  to  general  admiration  ;  but  she  now,  how- 
ever, told  him  her  resolution  never  to  appear  as  an  actress  again,  at 
the  same  time  giving  her  reasons.  At  first  he  attempted  to  over- 
come her  scruples  by  ridicule,  but  this  was  unavailing  ;  he  then  re- 
presented the  loss  he  should  incur  by  her  refusal,  and  concluded  his 
arguments  by  promising,  that  if,  to  oblige  him,  she  would  act  on  this 
occasion,  it  should  be  the  last  request  of  the  kind  he  would  ever 
make.  Unable  to  resist  his  solicitations,  she  promised  to  appear, 
and  on  the  appointed  evening  went  to  the  theatre.  The  character 
she  assumed  required  her,  on  her  first  entrance,  to  sing  a  song  ;  and 
when  the  curtain  drew  up,  the  orchestra  immediately  began  the 
accompaniment.  But  she  stood  as  if  lost  in  thought,  and  as  one  for- 
getting all  around  her,  and  her  own  situation.  The  music  ceased, 
but  she  did  not  sing  ;  and  supposing  her  to  be  overcome  by  embar- 
rassment, the  band  again  commenced.  A  second  time  they  paused 
for  her  to  begin,  and  still  she  did  not  open  her  lips.  A  third  time 
the  air  was  played,  and  then,  with  clasped  hands,  and  eyes  sufi'used 
with  tears,  she  sang,  not  the  words  of  the  song,  but 

"  Depth  of  mercy !  can  there  be 
Mercy  still  resei'ved  for  mo?" 


AND    REVIVAL    mCLDENTS.  119 

It  is  almost  needless  to  add,  that  the  performance  was  suddenly 
ended  ;  many  ridiculed,  though  some  were  induced  from  that  memo- 
rable night  to  "  consider  their  ways,"  and  to  reflect  on  the  wonder- 
ful power  of  that  religion  which  could  so  influence  the  heart,  and 
change  the  life  of  one  hitherto  so  vain,  and  so  evidently  pursuing 
the  road  which  leadeth  to  destruction. 

It  will  be  satisfactory  to  the  reader  to  know,  that  the  change  in 
Miss was  as  permanent  as  it  was  singular  ;  she  walked  consis- 
tently with  her  profession  of  religion  for  many  years,  and  at  length 
became  the  wife  of  a  minister  of  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

Power  of  a  Child's  Prayer.— In  the  town  of  W , 

Connecticut,  there  was  a  pious  little  girl  belonging  to  the  Sabbath 
School,  whose  father  was  an  opposer  of  religion.  One  day  he  had 
several  men  to  assist  him  in  haying.  They  indulged  in  profanity 
and  scoffing  at  religion ;  and  their  employer  rather  encouraged  them 
in  it.  The  little  girl  overheard  them,  and  was  so  shocked  and 
grieved  at  their  conduct,  that  she  went  into  the  meadow  and  asked 
them  if  they  did  not  kno^y  it  was  wicked  to  use  such  profane  lan- 
guage ?  This  drew  forth  their  ridicule,  and  so  exasperated  her 
father  that  he  gave  her  a  severe  rebuke,  and  sent  her  back  into  the 
house.  She  returned  as  commanded;  but  retired  to  her  closet  and 
prayed  for  those  who  had  abused  her.  In  the  course  of  the  day  she 
overheard  their  profanity  again,  and  resolved  again  to  reprove  them, 
whatever  might  be  the  results. 

As  she  addressed  them  the  second  time,  in  her  artless  manner, 
her  father  became  so  angry,  he  told  her  :  "  My  daughter,  we  don't 
want  any  of  your  religion  here;  if  you  say  anything  more  upon  that 
subject,  you  must  quit  my  house.  Now  return  and  attend  to  your 
business."  The  httle  girl  returned;  but  resolved  rather  to  quit  the 
paternal  roof  than  to  do  violence  to  her  conscience.  She  went  back 
to  her  chamber,  and  having  prayed  to  God,  proceeded  to  tie  up  her 
clothes,  and  then  put  on  her  bonnet  and  went  out,  scarce  knowing 
whither  she  went. 

She  went  first  to  the  field  to  bid  her  father  farewell,  and  fell  at 
his  feet,  saying,  "  Pa,  I  must  leave  you.     I  am  going  away,  but  T 


120  REMAKKABLE    CONVEKSIONS 

shall  pray  for  you."  She  immediately  left  the  field,  and  passing 
over  the  hill  was  soon  out  of  sight.  The  unfeeling  father  now 
began  to  reflect  on  what  he  had  done;  and  his  torpid  conscience 
began  to  awake.  He  could  not  work  ;  and  after  some  time  he 
threw  down  the  scythe  and  started  in  pursuit  of  his  daughter.  As 
he  was  hurrying  on  to  overtake  her,  he  came  near  to  a  grove,  and 
as  he  listened  he  heard  a  voice  in  the  adjacent  field.  He  crept 
softly  along  to  the  stone  wall  and  listened  again.  The  woods  were 
still,  he  heard  it  again.  It  was  the  voice  of  prayer — the  voice  of 
his  little  daughter  praying  for  her  father's  salvation!  The  stubborn 
heart  of  the  father  was  melted;  he  hastened  over  the  wall  to  his 
daughter;  and  clasping  her  in  his  arms,  asked  her  to  pray  for  him, 
"  for,"  said  he,  "  I  am  a  great  sinner."  Oh  !  it  was  an  affecting 
scene,  one  that  must  have  awakened  the  joy  of  angels!  He  carried 
his  little  daughter  home  in  his  arms,  and  ere  long  obtained  forgive- 
ness of  his  sins,  and  father  and  child  were  soon  rejoicing  together  in 
the  blessings  of  the  Christian's  hope. 

Converted  by  His  o-wn  Preaching. — When  the  Rev.  G. 
Whitefield  and  J.  Wesley  commenced  their  zealous  and  successful 
labors,  there  was  a  very  prevalent  disposition  to  oppose  and  misre- 
present them.  Many  of  the  public-houses  became  places  where  their 
doctrines  and  zeal  were  talked  of  and  ridiculed.  Mr.  Thorpe,  and 
several  other  young  men  in  Yorkshire,  undertook  at  one  of  these 
parties  to  mimic  the  preaching  of  these  good  men.  The  proposition 
met  with  applause  ;  one  after  another  stood  on  a  table  to  perform 
his  part,  and  it  devolved  on  Mr.  T.  to  close  this  very  irreverent 
scene.  Much  elated,  and  confident  of  success,  he  exclaimed,  as  he 
ascended  the  table,  "  I  shall  beat  you  all."  Who  would  have  sup- 
posed that  the  mercy  of  God  was  now  about  to  be  extended  to  this 
transgressor  of  his  law  !  The  Bible  was  handed  to  him,  and,  by  the 
guidance  of  unerring  Providence,  it  opened  at  Luke  xiii.  3.  "  Ex- 
cept ye  repent,  ye  shall  all  likewise  perish."  The  moment  he  read 
the  text  his  mind  was  impressed  in  a  most  extraordinary  manner  ; 
he  saw  clearly  the  nature  and  importance  of  the  subject  ;  and  as  he 
afterwards  said,  if  he  ever  preached  with  the  assistance  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  it  was  at  that  time.     His  address  produced  a  feeling  of  de- 


AND    REVIVAL    INCIDENTS.  121 

pressioii  in  liis  auditors  ;  and,  when  he  had  finished,  he  instantly 
retired  to  weep  over  his  sins  :  he  associated  with  the  people  of  God, 
and  became  a  useful  minister  of  the  New  Testament,  and  died  at 
Masborough,  in  17t6. 

Burglars  Arrested. — An  eminently  pious  curate,  in  England, 
was  accustomed,  on  accouHt  of  the  village  in  which  he  resided  being 
at  a  great  distance  from  the  church,  to  preach  on  the  Sabbath 
evening  in  his  own  house.  On  his  return  from  his  stated  parochial 
duties,  one  Sabbath  afternoon,  he  was  warned  by  one  of  his  neigh- 
bors to  keep  a  strict  look-out  against  two  suspicious  characters  then 
lurking  in  the  village,  as  there  was  some  reason  to  apprehend  that 
they  intended  that  night  to  rob  his  house.  They  contrived,  how- 
ever by  some  means,  to  get  within  his  premises  while  the  people 
were  assembling  in  considerable  numbers  for  worship,  and  concealed 
themselves  in  a  retired  part  of  the  house  ;  but  not  being  far  from 
the  room  where  the  worthy  man  was  preaching,  they  could  distinctly 
bear  his  voice.  The  sword  of  the  Spirit  pierced  their  hearts  ;  they 
were  not  only  convinced  of  the  wickedness  of  their  meditated  bur 
glary,  but  of  the  awful  criminality  of  sin  as  committed  against  Go(3, 
and  left  their  dark  retreat  under  the  most  pungent  sense  of  guilt. 
From  this  time,  an  effectual  change  was  wrought  in  their  minds  and 
conduct,  and  the  pious  clergyman,  after  several  years,  could  bear 
testimony  that  by  their  unblamable  lives,  they  adorned  the  gospel 
of  Christ. 

The  Negro's  Sermon. — A  worthy  and  excellent  bishop  of 
the  Episcopal  Church  was  in  early  life  an  immoral  and  dissipated 
man.  Dining  one  evening  with  a  party  of  gentlemen,  they  sat  late 
over  their  wine,  and  with  a  view  to  promote  merriment,  this  young 
man  sent  for  one  of  his  slaves,  who  was  in  the  habit  of  preaching  to 
his  companions  in  slavery,  and  ordered  him  to  preach  a  sermon  to 
the  company.  The  good  man  hesitated  for  a  time,  but  at  length 
began  to  address  them.  Instead  of  the  mirth,  however  which  they 
anticipated  from  the  ignorance  and  simplicity  of  the  poor  man,  the 
piety  and  fervor  of  his  discourse  produced  a  contrary  effect.  The 
solemn  truths  he  delivered  sank  deeply  into  the  hearts  of  some  of 

6 


122  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

the  company,  and,  througli  the  Divine  blessing,  carried  conviction  to 
the  heart  of  his  master,  who  now  seriously  inquired  after  the  way  of 
salvation  ;  which  having  learned,  he  began  from  a  sense  of  duty  to 
publish  the  grace  of  Christ,  and  became  an  ornament  to  the  Chris- 
tian ministry. 

Conversion  of  Madan. — The  Rev.  Mr,  Madan  was  educated 
for  the  bar.  His  conversion  to  God  arose  from  the  following  cir- 
cumstances. Some  of  his  companions,  when  assembled  one  evening 
at  a  coffee-house,  requested  him  to  go  and  hear  the  Rev.  John 
Wesley,  who,  they  were  informed,  was  to  pi  each  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  then  to  return  and  exhibit  his  manner  and  discourse  for 
their  entertainment.  With  that  intention  he  went  to  the  house  of 
God.  Just  as  he  entered  the  place,  Mr.  Wesley  read  as  his  text, 
"  Prepare  to  meet  thy  God,"  Amos  iv.  12,  with  a  solemnity  of 
accent  which  excited  his  attention,  and  produced  a  seriousness  which 
increased  as  the  good  man  proceeded  in  exhorting  his  hearers  to 
repentance.  Mr.  Madan  returned  to  the  coffee-room,  and  was  asked 
by  his  companions  if  he  had  taken  off  the  old  Methodist.  He  re- 
plied, "  No,  gentlemen,  but  he  has  taken  me  off  ;"  and  from  that 
time  forsook  their  company,  associated  with  true  Christians,  and 
became  an  eminently  good  man. 

The  Three  Sco£Fers. — In  a  sea-port  town  on  the  west  coast 
of  England,  notice  was  once  given  of  a  sermon  to  be  preached  there 
one  Saturday  evening.  The  preacher  was  a  man  of  great  celebrity; 
and  that  circumstance,  together  with  the  object  of  the  discourse, 
being  to  enforce  the  duly  of  strict  observance  of  the  Sabbath, 
attracted  an  overflowing  audience.  After  the  usual  prayers  and 
praises,  the  preacher  read  his  text,  and  was  about  to  proceed  with 
his  sermon,  when  he  suddenly  paused,  leaning  his  head  on  the  pulpit, 
and  remained  silent  for  a  few  moments.  It  was  imagined  that  he 
had  become  indisposed  ;  but  he  soon  recovered  himself,  and,  address- 
ing the  congregation,  said,  that  before  entering  upon  his  discourse, 
he  begged  to  narrate  to  them  a  short  anecdote.  "  It  is  now  exactly 
fifteen  years,"  said  he,  "  since  I  was  last  within  this  place  of  wor- 
ship, and  the  occasion  was,  as  many  here  may  probably  remember 


AND   REVIYAL   mCIDENTS.  123 

the  very  same  as  that  which  has  now  brought  us  together.  Amongst 
those  who  came  here  that  evening  were  three  dissohite  young  men, 
who  came  not  only  with  the  intention  of  insulting  and  mocking  the 
renerable  pastor,  but  even  with  stones  in  their  pockets  to  throw  at 
him  as  he  stood  in  the  pulpit.  Accordingly,  they  had  not  attended 
long  to  the  discourse,  when  one  of  them  said  impatiently,  '  Why 
need  we  listen  any  longer  to  the  blockhead  ? — throw  !'  But  the 
second  stopped  him,  saying,  '  Let  us  first  see  what  he  makes  of  this 
point.'  The  curiosity  of  the  latter  was  no  sooner  satisfied,  than  he, 
too,  said,  *  Ay,  confound  him,  it  is  only  as  I  expected — throw  now!' 
But  here  the  third  interposed,  and  said,  *  It  would  be  better  altoge- 
ther to  give  up  the  design  which  has  brought  us  here.'  At  this 
remark  his  two  associates  took  offence,  and  left  the  place,  while  he 
himself  remained  to  the  end.  Now  mark,  my  brethren,"  continued 
the  preacher,  with  much  emotion,  "what  were  afterwards  the  seve- 
ral fates  of  these  young  men  ?  The  first  was  hanged,  many  years 
ago,  at  Tyburn,  for  the  crime  of  forgery  ;  the  second  is  now  lying 
under  the  sentence  of  death,  for  murder,  in  the  jail  of  this  city.  The 
third,  my  brethren " — and  the  speaker's  agitation  here  became 
excessive,  while  he  paused,  and  wiped  the  large  drops  from  his  brow 
— "  the  third,  my  brethren,  is  he  who  is  now  about  to  address 
you  ! — listen  to  him." 

The  Infidel's  Sermon  to  the  Pirates. — A  native  of 
Sweden,  residing  in  the  south  of  France,  had  occasion  to  go  from 
one  port  to  another  in  the  Baltic  Sea.  When  he  came  to  the  place 
whence  he  expected  to  sail,  the  vessel  was  gone.  On  inquiring,  he 
found  a  fishing-boat  going  the  same  way,  in  which  he  embarked. 
After  being  for  some  time  out  to  sea,  the  men  observed  that  he  had 
several  trunks  and  chests  on  board,  concluded  he  must  be  very  rich 
and  therefore  agreed  among  themselves  to  throw  him  overboard. 
This  he  heard  them  express,  which  gave  him  great  uneasiness. 
However,  he  took  occasion  to  open  one  of  his  trunks  which  con- 
tained some  books.  Observing  this,  they  remarked  among  them- 
selves that  it  was  not  worth  while  to  throw  him  into  the  sea,  as 
they  did  not  want  any  books,  which  they  supposed  was  all  the 
trunks  contained.      They  asked  him  if  he  were  a  priest.     Hardly 


124:  KEMAEKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

knowing  what  reply  to  make,  he  told  them  he  was  ;  at  which  they 
seemed  much  pleased,  and  said  they  would  have  a  sermon  on  the 
next  day,  as  it  was  the  Sabbath. 

This  increased  the  anxiety  and  distress  of  his  mind,  for  he  knew 
himself  to  be  as  incapable  of  such  an  undertaking  as  it  was  possible 
for  any  one  to  be,  as  he  knew  very  little  of  the  Scriptures  ;  neither 
did  he  believe  in  the  inspiration  of  the  Bible. 

At  length  they  came  to  a  small  rocky  island,  perhaps  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  in  circumference,  where  was  a  company  of  pirates,  who  had 
chosen  this  little  sequestered  spot  to  deposit  their  treasures.  He 
was  taken  to  a  cave,  and  introduced  to  an  old  woman,  to  whom 
they  remarked  that  they  were  to  have  a  sermon  preached  the  next 
day.  She  said  she  was  very  glad  of  it,  for  she  had  not  heard  the 
word  of  God  for  a  great  while.  His  was  a  trying  case,  for  preach 
he  must,  still  he  knew  nothing  about  preaching.  If  he  refused,  or 
undertook  to  preach  and  did  not  please,  he  expected  it  would  be  his 
death.  With  these  thoughts  he  passed  a  sleepless  night.  In  the 
morning  his  mind  was  not  settled  upon  anything.  To  call  upon 
God,  whom  he  believed  to  be  inaccessible,  was  altogether  vain.  He 
could  devise  no  way  whereby  he  might  be  saved.  He  walked  to 
and  fro,  still  shut  up  in  darkness,  striving  to  collect  something  to 
say  to  them,  but  could  not  think  of  even  a  single  sentence. 

When  the  appointed  time  for  the  evening  arrived,  he  entered  the 
cave,  where  he  found  the  men  assembled.  There  was  a  seat  pre- 
pared for  him,  and  a  table  with  a  Bible  on  it.  They  sat  for  the 
space  of  half  an  hour  in  profound  silence  ;  and  even  then,  the 
anguish  of  his  soul  was  as  great  as  human  nature  was  capable  of 
enduring.  At  length  these  words  came  to  his  mind — "  Verily,  there 
is  a  reward  for  the  righteous  :  verily,  there  is  a  God  that  judgeth  in 
the  earth."  He  arose,  and  delivered  them  ;  then  other  words  pre- 
sented themselves,  and  so  on  till  his  understanding  became  opened — 
his  heart  enlarged,  in  a  manner  astonishing  to  himself.  He  spoke 
upon  subjects  suited  to  their  condition  ;  the  rewards  of  the  righteous 
— the  judgments  of  the  wicked — the  necessity  of  repentance,  and  the 
importance  of  a  change  of  life.  The  matchless  love  of  God  to  the 
children  of  men  had  such  a  powerful  effect  upon  the  minds  of  these 
wretched  beings,  that  they  were  melted  into  tears.     Nor  was  he 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  125 

less  astonished  at  the  unbounded  goodness  of  Almighty  God,  in  thus 
interposing  to  save  his  spiritual  as  well  as  his  natural  life,  ond  well 
might  he  exclaim — "  This  is  the  Lord's  doings,  and  marvellous  in 
our  eyes."  Under  a  deep  sense  of  God's  goodness,  his  heart  became 
filled  with  such  thankfulness  that  it  was  out  of  his  power  to  express. 
What  marvellous  change  was  thus  suddenly  brought  about  by  divine 
interposition  !  He  who  a  little  before  disbelieved  in  communion 
with  God  and  the  soul,  became  as  humble  as  a  little  child  ;  and 
they  who  were  so  lately  meditating  on  his  death,  now  are  filled  with 
love  and  good  will  towards  each  other,  particularly  towards  him  ; 
manifesting  affectionate  kindness,  and  willing  to  render  him  all  the 
assistance  in  their  power. 

The  next  morning  they  fitted  out  one  of  their  vessels,  and  con- 
veyed him  where  he  desired.  From  that  time  he  became  a  changed 
man.  From  sentiments  of  infidelity  he  became  a  sincere  believer  in 
the  power  and  efficacy  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 

An  Affecting  Meeting. — At  the  foot  of  a  lofty  hill,  writes 
a  correspondent  of  an  American  periodical,  crowned  to  the  summit 
with  the  richest  verdure,  a  miserable  mud  cabin  peeped  out  from 
among  encircling  bush  wood  and  straggling  elms.  A  stillness 
seemed  to  lie  around  the  spot,  and  I  felt  an  indescribable  sensation 
creep  over  me  as  I  drew  near  the  house  of  mourning.  I  paused  at 
the  entrance.  A  low  murmuring  kind  of  sound  stole  upon  my  ear, 
and  again  all  was  hushed.  I  gently  opened  the  door,  and  bent 
myself  forward,  as  if  to  ascertain,  unnoticed,  wha,t  was  passing 
within.  I  saw  at  the  first  glance  that  death  had  been  there.  The 
apartment,  on  the  threshold  of  which  I  now  stood,  was  of  the  meanest 
construction  ;  it  was  without  a  single  piece  of  furniture  that  deserved 
the  name.  In  one  corner  of  it  a  dead  body  lay  stretched  out,  very 
slightly. covered  with  a  tattered  coat,  and  a  cold  kind  of  horrible 
feeling  ran  through  my  very  soul  ;  and  it  would  probably  have 
shrunk  away  from  any  further  investigation,  if  I  had  not  been  sud- 
denly arrested  by  a  soft  sweet  voice,  mingled  with  a  low  groan, 
somewhat  like  a  death-rattle,  that  seemed  to  issue  from  the  same 
apartment.  I  turned  my  head  around,  and  beheld  a  sight  that 
chained  me,  as  if  by  magic,  to  the  ground.     Oh,  it  was  heart-thril- 


126  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

ling  to  behold  I  On  a  bundle  of  straw,  a  woman,  somewhat  in 
years,  lay  apparently  in  the  agonies  of  death.  Near  her  head  hung, 
reclining  in  deep  sorrow,  a  beautiful,  little  half-naked  child.  On  one 
side,  a  lovely  girl,  about  thirteen  years  of  age  knelt  ;  a  Bible  clasped 
in  her  thin  slender  hands,  with  which  she  was  endeavoring  to  com- 
fort her  dying  mother.  I  instantly  recognized  two  of  my  Sabbath- 
school  children.  The  meeting  was  affecting.  They  had  been  with- 
out food  for  some  days.  The  mother  died  next  day,  in  the  triumph 
of  that  faith  which  her  little  daughter  taught  her  out  of  the  Bible. 
The  girls  grew  up  to  be  respectable  members  of  society,  and  one  of 
them  has  been  a  teacher  in  a  Sabbath  school  for  several  years. 

My  Son  is  my  Spiritual  Father. — At  a  Wesley  an  class 
meeting,  a  man  rose  and  addressed  the  leader  thus  : — "  I  am  very 
thankful  to  God,  and  to  you,  for  your  Sunday  school.  My  son,  who 
now  sits  b)eside  me,  is  my  spiritual  father.  He  heard  me  cursing, 
while  in  a  state  of  drunkenness,  and  said  to  me,  *  0  father  !  my 
teacher  said  to-day,  at  the  Sunday  school,  that  neither  drunkards 
nor  swearers  could  enter  into  heaven.'  This  so  affected  my  mind, 
that  from  that  time  I  was  enabled,  by  the  grace  of  God,  to  leave  off 
those  wicked  practices  ;  and  both  myself  and  my  son  are  now  mem- 
bers of  your  society."  He  then  laid  his  hand  on  his  son's  head,  and 
repeated,  "  my  son  is  my  spiritual  father." 

A  Pious  Boy's  Fidelity. — In  New  York  city  a  little  boy 
lived,  who  appeared  to  take  little  or  no  interest  in  learning,  so  that 
he  was  pronounced  by  his  teachers  a  very  dull  scholar.  He  learned 
to  read  but  very  slowly,  and  finally  neglected  the  school,  thinking 
he  should  never  succeed.  There  was  a  Bible  class  organized,  which 
he  was  induced  to  attend.  And  here  he  soon  began  to  manifest  an 
interest  in  the  study  of  the  Scriptures.  He  learned  to  read  well, 
v.'hich  much  astonished  his  father,  who  was  a  very  wicked  man. 
One  Sabbath,  his  father  took  some  nails  and  a  hammer  to  nail  up 
a  fence,  when  he  was  reproved  by  his  little  son,  who  spoke  about 
working  on  the  Sabbath  day,  and  invited  him  to  attend  public  wor- 
ship. The  enraged  father  drove  him  from  his  presence,  and  threat- 
ened to  punish  him  if  he  ever  talked  in  that  way  again.     The  child 


A]!TD   EEYIVAL   INCIDENTS.  12? 

went  away  sorrowful.  Not  long  after  this,  as  the  little  boy  re- 
turned from  public  worship,  he  went  and  looked  over  his  father's 
shoulder,  and  observed  that  he  was  reading  Hume's  History  of 
England.  He  went  into  the  middle  of  the  room,  and  said,  "  Father, 
where  do  you  expect  to  go  when  you  die  ?"  Such  a  question  from 
such  a  child  could  not  be  borne.  "  Away,"  said  he,  "  from  my  pre- 
sence, immediately,  or  I  will  whip  you."  The  child  retired  ;  but 
the  father  was  troubled.  He  went  out  to  walk,  but  still  a  load  was 
pressing  on  his  agonizing  soul.  He  thought  of  attending  public  wor- 
ship, for  nothing  else  seemed  so  likely  to  soothe  his  troubled  feel- 
ings. He  entered  while  the  minister  was  at  prayer,  and  that  day 
was  the  beginning  of  better  days  to  him.  He  sought  from  God  the 
forgiveness  of  his  sins,  and  soon  obtained  the  hope  of  eternal  life. 

A  few  years  passed  away,  and  the  old  man  was  on  his  dying  bed. 
His  son  attended  him,  constantly  ministering  to  his  spiritual  wants. 
To  a  Christian  minister,  the  father  said,  *'  I  am  dying,  but  I  am 
going  to  heaven  ;  and  my  son  has  been  the  instrument  of  saving  my 
soul."  Soon  his  spirit  was  released  to  be  welcomed,  as  we  have  no 
reason  to  doubt,  into  the  mansions  of  glory.  Happy  child  !  to  be 
the  instrument  of  saving  his  father  from  death.  Happy  parent  !  to 
be  bleseed  with  such  a  child. 

Conversion  under  Hydrophobia. — A  little  boy,  about 
eleven  years  of  age,  a  Sunday  scholar  in  Camberwell,  was  bitten  by 
a  mad  dog  ;  the  part  was  cut  out,  and  caustic  applied,  but  the 
fatal  poison  could  not  be  arrested  in  its  progress,  and  nine  weeks 
after  the  accident,  decided  symptoms  of  hydrophobia  were  mani- 
fested. It  appears  that  the  poor  boy  depended  chiefly,  if  not 
entirely,  on  Sunday  school  teaching  for  all  his  religious  instruction, 
and  now  the  great  advantage  of  correct  information  on  scriptural 
subjects  was  evinced.  He  was  aware  of  the  nature  of  his  disease, 
took  patiently  the  medicines  recommended  to  him,  and  bade  fare- 
well to  a  playmate,  saying,  he  should  never  see  him  again.  But 
frightful  paroxysms  of  pain  came  on  ;  sometimes  he  was  lifted  sud- 
denly upi-ight  in  the  bed,  while  the  agony  of  speaking  was  so  great 
that  he  could  only  utter  words  at  intervals,  and  then  in  reply  to 
necessary  questions.     But  in  the  midst  of  judgment  God  remem- 


128  EEMAHKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

bered  mercy, — an  interval  of  comparative  composure,  a  fact  almost 
uj^recedented  in  this  disease,  was  granted  the  sufferer  ;  and  then 
was  felt  the  swe(3t  influence  of  that  religion  which  he  had  been 
taught,  and  which  gives  divine  wisdom  to  the  meanest  capacity. 
He  knelt  on  the  bed,  and  prayed — prayed  to  Jesus,  and  besought 
the  salvation  of  his  soul.  He  needed  comfort  ;  but  he  had  not,  as 
is  too  frequently  the  case,  to  seek  it  amid  the  pains  and  confusions 
of  a  dying  hour,  and,  in  the  darkness  of  nature,  mistake  broken 
reeds  for  substantial  supports  ;  no,  the  way  of  peace  and  life  had 
again  and  again  been  pointed  out  to  him  ;  he  beheved,  and  who 
can  doubt  that  he  was  saved  ?  He  repeated  and  sung  most  of  the 
hymns  he  had  been  taught  ;  joy  beamed  on  the  countenance  which 
had  been  so  lately  distorted  with  agony;  he  called  on  those  around 
to  attend  to  the  things  of  religion,  and  prayed  that  their  hearts 
might  be  turned  from  stone  to  flesh.  "  Come  to  Jesus,  come  with 
me,"  said  the  little  sufferer,  as  he  quietly  passed  to  glory. 

The  Blind  Man  and  his  Wife. — A  pious  man  came  into 
western  New  York,  from  one  of  the  New  England  States.  He  was 
then  perfectly  blind.  He  had  a  near  relative  in  this  country,  who 
advised  him  to  leave  or  sell  his  farm,  and  come  and  reside  with  him, 
to  be  taken  care  of.  He  then  had  a  wife  of  a  similar  religious 
character  (since  dead).  They  accepted  the  proposal  of  their  rela- 
tive and  came  ;  and,  coming  from  society  highly  refined  and  moral, 
they  were  not  prepared  to  encounter  the  disadvantages,  and  real 
evils  which  attended  a  society  the  reverse  of  this.  Their  first  Sab- 
bath in  "  York  State,"  he  declared  would  never  be  forgotten.  No 
sooner  was  its  sacred  dawn  ushered  in,  than  shooting  and  other 
recreations  commenced  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  his  relative, 
while  the  latter,  being  a  merchant,  dealt  out  the  whisky  to  all  who 
applied.  Consequently  the  day  was  trampled  on,  and  its  hallowed 
hours  spent  in  dissipation.  Before  breakfast,  which  was  delayed  to 
receive  a  party  of  visitors  from  another  town,  this  devoted  pair 
resolved  to  seek  some  retreat  from  the  noise  and  profaneness,  fled 
into  an  adjacent  wood,  the  wife  taking  the  Bible  and  leading  her 
blind  husband.  Here,  in  the  deep  solitude  of  the  forest,  they  spent 
the  first  Sabbath  in  fasting  and  prayer,  and  reading  the  Word  of 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  12^9 

God.  After  the  Sabbath  was  past,  they  informed  their  relative 
they  could  not  live  with  him  if  such  were  the  manner  of  spendin"* 
the  Sabbath,  iu  amusements  and  dissipation.  They  must  have  a 
house  of  their  own.     He  replied  that  it  would  avail  nothing,  for 

people  would  visit  him  on  the   Sabbath.     Mr.  D said  firmly, 

that  he  would  risk  their  visits  to  him.  Accordingly  a  house  was 
provided.  The  first  Sabbath  in  their  new  residence,  two  of  their 
neighbors  called  to  see  them,  one  of  whom  was  a  magistrate.  His 
wife  was  reading  the  Bible.  After  passing  the  usual  comphments, 
and  providing  seats,  she  went  on  reading  aloud.  Before  the  chapter 
was  finished,  one  of  the  visitors  left,  and  before  the  close  of  the 
second,  the  other  left.  But  he  was  not  troubled  with  visitors.  He 
commenced  visiting  some  of  his  ungodly  neighbors,  and  conversing 
with  them  on  the  subject  of  religion,  his  wife  leading  him.  Soon 
they  began  to  hold  meetings  on  the  Sabbath,  and  many  attended. 
The  wife  read  sermons,  and  the  husband  prayed  and  exhorted.  One 
wicked  man,  whose  shop  was  opposite  the  meeting,  set  open  his  door, 
and  worked  in  order  to  disturb  it.  The  next  Sabbath,  this  same 
man  came  into  the  meeting,  fell  on  his  knees,  confessing  his  sins  and 
asking  forgiveness.  The  Lord  came  down  by  his  Spirit  on  that 
wicked  neighborhood,  and  forty  became  the  members  of  a  church, 
afterwards  formed  in  that  place,  as  the  fruits  of  that  revival. 
There  was  no  regular  preaching  in  the  place  previously,  and  it  was 
evidently  through  the  instrumentality  of  this  blind  man  and  his  wife. 
That  church,  the  writer  is  acquainted  with.  It  is  quite  flourishing. 
They  have  built  a  handsome  house  of  worship,  and  settled  a  minis- 
ter to  break  unto  them  the  bread  of  life. 

The  Little  Babe's  Prayer. — I  can  state,  says  Mr.  Wil- 
derspin,  that  a  man  discontinued  drunkenness  from  the  simple  prat- 
tle of  his  infant.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  frequently  getting  drunk; 
there  were  two  or  three  children  under  seven  years  of  age,  and  they 
all  slept  in  the  same  room,  though  not  in  the  same  bed.  The  man 
came  home  one  night  drunk;  his  wife  remonstrated  with  him,  when 
he  struck  her.  The  woman  cried  very  much,  and  continued  to  cry 
after  she  got  into  bed;  but  a  little  creature,  two  or  three  years  old, 
got  up,  and  said,  "Pray,  father,  do  not  beat  poor  mother;"  the 

6* 


130  REMAEKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

father  ordered  it  to  get  iuto  bed  again:  the  little  creature  got  up 
again,  and  knelt  down  by  the  side  of  the  bed,  and  repeated  the 
Lord's  prayer,  and  tlien  concluded  in  this  simple  language:  "Pray, 
God,  bless  dear  father  and  mother,  and  make  father  a  good  father. 
Amen !"  This  went  to  the  heart  of  the  drunkard ;  the  man  told  me 
he  covered  his  face  over  with  the  bed-clothes,  and  that  the  first 
thoughts  he  awoke  with  in  the  morning,  were  thoughts  of  regret, 
that  he  should  stand  in  need  of  such  a  remonstrance  from  such  a 
young  child,  and  it  produced  in  him  self-examination  and  amend- 
ment of  life.  The  family  became  united  to  a  Methodist  chapel,  in 
that  neighborhood,  and  I  have  learned  that  they  are  useful  and 
valuable  members  of  that  society. 

Happy  Results  of  one  School. — In  a  certain  school  in 
New  England,  in  1832,  sixty-one  out  of  fifteen  classes  of  160  pupils, 
under  1 6  years  of  age,  became  hopefully  pious.  In  six  classes,  em- 
bracing 71  young  persons  over  16  years  of  age,  sixty  indulged  hope 
that  they  had  passed  from  death  unto  life,  making  in  all  one  hun- 
dred AND  TWENTY-ONE  who  became  hopefully  pious  in  a  school  of 
231  scholars. 

Revivals  in  Ten  Schools. — In  a  County  Sabbath-school 
Society,  in  Mass.,  embracing  ten  parishes,  and  the  same  number  of 
schools,  the  Lord  smiled  upon  this  institution,  in  1834-5,  and  shed 
down  upon  it  the  influence  of  his  Holy  Spirit.  Six  schools  were 
blessed  with  powerful  revivals  of  religion.  Three  hundred  scholars 
from  these  ten  schools  made  a  profession  during  the  year.  It  is  sup- 
posed the  whole  number  that  passed  from  death  unto  life  is  over 
four  hundred  !  "  This  is  the  Lord's  doing,  and  it  is  marvellous  in 
our  eyes." 

One  Hundred   Scholars   Converted. — In  ,  Mass., 

efforts  were  made  in  the  early  part  of  the  year  1835,  to  excite  a 
more  general  and  deeper  interest  in  the  Sabbath-school  concert. 
The  influence  of  these  efforts  was  to  increase  the  number  of  the 
school  and  the  fidelity  of  the  teachers.  "  This  general  interest," 
says  the  pastor,  "  increased  through  the  summer  till  September, 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  IgJ 

when  more  manifest  signs  appeared — though  two  or  three  conver- 
sions had  before  taken  place — of  the  presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
In  a  few  weeks  the  attention  had  become  general  throughout  the 
school.  The  work  of  God  was  very  solemn,  as  well  as  animating, 
still  and  deep.  Oxe  hundred  or  more  members  of  the  school, 
we  liope,  have  beex  converted. 

"What  a  Teacher  can  do. — About  the  first  of  September, 
1833,  a  deep  and  solemn  interest  upon  the  subject  of  religion  began 
to  be  visible  in  the  Presbyterian  church  and  congregation  of  Wash- 
ingtonville,  New  York,  and  particularly  in  the  Sabbath  school. 
Here  commenced  that  revival  flame  which  subsequently  spread 
through  the  county,  and  brought  salvation  to  a  multitude  of  souls. 

One  Sahbatk  school  teacher,  feeling  deeply  the  responsibility,  resting 
upon  her,  and  the  worth  of  immortal  souls,  before  the  school  was 
dismissed  on  the  Lord's  day,  afi'ectionately  requested  her  class,  con- 
sisting of  little  girls  about  twelve  or  thirteen  years  of  age,  to  remain 
after  the  rest  of  the  school  had  retired.  She  then  began,  with  an 
aching  heart  and  with  flowing  tears,  to  reason  and  plead  with  them 
upon  the  subject  of  personal  religion.  They  were  deeply  affected, 
and  "  wept  bitterly  "  in  view  of  their  lost  condition.  They  then  all 
knelt  together  before  the  Lord,  and  the  teacher  prayed  for  their  sal- 
vation ;  and  immediately  the  scholar  next  to  her  commenced  pray- 
ing for  herself,  and  then  the  next,  and  so  on,  until  the  whole  class, 
with  ardent  supplications,  begged  for  the  forgiveness  of  their  sins 
and  the  salvation  of  their  souls.  It  would  take  long  to  tell  the 
history  of  this  class,  and  relate  particular  instances  of  conversions, 
and  the  happy  changes  which  took  place  in  the  families  to  which 
they  belonged,  and  show  the  family  altars  which  were  established. 
These  scholars,  with  their  teacher,  a^id  their  fathers  and  mothers, 
brothers  and  sisters,  were  ere  long  seen  commemorating  a  Saviour'a 
dying  love  together.  The  revival  extended  itself  to , other  towns, 
and  the  great  day  can  alone  unfold  the  astonishing  results. 

The  Child's  Last  Prayer.— A  pious  little .  boy,  who 
attended  the  Sabbath  school,  a  few  hours  before  his  death  broke 
out  into  singing,  and  sung  so  loud,  as  to  cause  his;  mother  to  inquire 


132  KEMAKKAELE    CONVEliSIONS 

what  he  was  doing.  "  I  am  singing  my  sister's  favorite  hymn, 
mother."  "  But  why,  my  dear,  so  loud  ?"  "  Why,"  said  he,  with 
peculiar  emphasis,  "  because  I  am  so  happy."  Just  before  his  death, 
with  uplifted  hands,  he  exclaimed,  "  Father  !  Father  !  take  me. 
Father."  His  father  went  to  lift  him  up,  when,  with  a  smile,  he 
said,  "  I  did  not  call  you,  father  ;  but  I  was  calling  to  my  heavenly 
Father  to  take  me  ;  I  shall  soon  be  with  him  :"  and  then  expired. 

"I  have  given   myself  to   my  Saviour." — S.  A.  E. 

(writes  the  wife  of  a  pastor  in  Massachusetts)  was  constant  in  her 
attendance  on  the  Sabbath  school,  punctual  and  very  correct  in  her 
lessons,  and  amiable  in  her  deportment.  But  it  was  not  until  the 
age  of  16  that  the  precious  treasure  of  divine  truth,  stored  up  in 
lier  memory,  was  made  instrumental  of  awakening  her  conscience, 
and  leading  her  to  the  ''  Fountain  opened  for  sin."  The  moment 
will  never  be  forgotten  wdien,  in  a  circle  of  weeping  associates,  who 
had  assembled  to  inquire  of  their  pastor  "  What  shall  I  do  to  be 
saved  ?"  S.  A.  E.  arose,  and  with  her  characteristic  decision  ex- 
claimed, "  I  have  given  myself  to  my  Saviour  !"  Nor  will  those  who 
had  assembled  at  that  hour  to  pj-ay  for  their  beloved  children,  forget 
the  thrill  of  joy  which  pervaded  the  room  as  the  pastor  announced 
the  fact,  that  this  child  of  many  prayers  and  tears,  had,  it  was  be- 
lieved, accepted  the  offers  of  mercy.  Five  years,  until  her  death, 
she  adorned  her  profession  ;  and  the  rich  fruits  of  gentleness,  meek- 
ness, submission  under  severe  trials,  and  filial  piety,  hung  thickly  on 
this  youthful  plant. 

Becoming  a  Man-of-War's-Man.— I  know  a  man,  said 
Rev.  Mr.  Lord,  seaman's  chaplain  at  Boston,  who  is  now  a  member 
of  the  church,  and  who  was  hopefully  converted  four  years  ago  by 
reading  ^'Little  Henry  and  his  Bearer.'^  He  went  home  :  but  on 
reliection,  m^de  up  his  mind  to  go  on  board  a  man-of-war,  for  the 
purpose  of  doing  good.  He  shipped  at  Charlestown,  furnishing  him- 
self- with  tracts.  Bibles,  and  the  Society's  volumes.  The  crew  were 
Ko  wicked,  that,  at  the  end  of  nine  months,  the  chaplain  was  com- 
pelled to  leave  the  ship.  But  this  man  and  one  or  two  other  pious 
men  remained.     At  last  God  blessed  him.     One  of  the  men  was  sent 


AJSD    REVIVAL    INOIDEJJTS.  loo 

up  to  the  forotopsail  as  a  punishment.  He  asked  this  man  to  lend 
him  a  book,  which  he  did.  He  was  a  wicked  man,  and  had  been 
accustomed  to  read  Tom  Paine  and  similar  works.  But  now  he 
came  down  serious,  and  inquired  what  he  should  do  to  be  saved. 
God  opened  the  windows  of  heaven,  and  in  three  weeks  there  were 
between  twenty  and  thirty  inquirers,  and  fifteen  or  twenty  entertain- 
ing hope.  There  was  great  and  continued  opposition  from  the  offi- 
cers. But  at  the  end  of  three  years  and  a  half  the  vessel  arrived, 
and  eleven  men,  who  had  endured  this  fiery  persecution  all  this  time, 
sat  down  to  commemorate  the  dying  love  of  Jesus. 

The  Little  School-boy's  Prayer  Meeting.— A  little 
lad  in  one  of  the  villages  of  Connecticut  was  converted  to  God.  He 
attended  school  at  this  time  ;  and  he  began  to  study  how  he  might 
benefit  his  playmates,  and  win  their  hearts  to  Christ.  He  was  not 
satisfied  with  merely  living  like  a  Christian  before  them,  watching 
carefully  over  his  words  and  actions,  and  bearing  with  patience  all 
their  persecutions  and  ridicule  on  account  of  his  piety  ;  but  he 
determined  to  use  some  active  means  for  their  salvation.  "With  this 
in  view,  he  gave  notice  that  there  would  be  a  prayer  meeting  in  the 
school-house  during  the  intermission. 

Drawn  by  curiosity,  and  to  enjoy  the  sport  they  wickedly 
expected,  the  scholars  assembled.  But  who  was  to  conduct  the 
meeting  ?  Our  little  friend,  strengthened  by  the  Saviour,  gives  out 
his  hymn,  sings  and  prays,  and  then  simply,  affectionately,  and  faith- 
fully, exhorts  his  companions.  Some,  during  the  exercises,  behave 
with  propriety,  others  jeer,  laugh,  and  attempt  to  break  up  the 
little  service. 

Unmoved  by  these  persecutions,  jmd  his  apparent  ill  success,  the 
little  hero  continues  the  meeting  on  succeeding  days. 

The  master  attended,  to  see  if  everything  was  properly  conducted, 
and  was  astonished,  undoubtedly  (for  he  was  an  unconverted  man), 
at  the  confidence  and  calmness  of  the  lad.  He  severely  repri- 
manded those  who  were  only  present  to  disturb  the  devotions,  and 
saved  the  young  Christian  from  further  persecution.  Soon  some  of 
the  lads  became  anxious,  penitent,  and  were  hopefully  converted. 
Their  parents  witnessing  the  change,  were  induced  to  come  with 


134:  EEMAEKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

them  at  their  hour  of  devotion,  and  ere  long  several  of  these  were 
seeking  for  mercy  among  the  little  flock  of  pious,  praying  lambs. 
The  ministers  of  the  place,  hearing  this  wonderful  intelligence,  were 
aroused,  and  eventually  came  in  and  took  charge  of  the  services. 
Other  meetings  were  appointed,  and  the  result  was,  that  about 
sixty  obtained  the  salvation  of  their  souls.  The  whole  work,  the 
importance  and  value  of  which  eternity  alone  can  show,  origuiated, 
and  was  in  a  large  sense  carried  on  by  this  pious,  faithful,  and 
courageous  little  lad  !  0  I  how  much  good  young  Christians  may 
accomplish  I 

The  Elder's  Twelve  Prayers. — Elder  S was  a  dis- 
tiller, carried  on  the  business  largely,  and  supplied  his  neighbors 
with  the  good  creature.  At  length  one  and  another,  and  another, 
became  drunkards,  squandered  away  their  property,  and  reduced 
their  families  to  beggary  and  wretchedness.  Nevertheless,  the 
Elder  continued  to  supply  them,  "  for  the  public  good,"  and  being  a 
sober  man,  did  it  very  regularly.  By  and  by  one  of  his  customers 
came  to  settle  with  him,  and  on  settlement  owed  him  twenty  dol- 
lars ;  and  yet  had  nothing  to  pay,  and  nothing  with  which  to  sujjply 
his  family  with  a  rag  of  clothing  or  a  morsel  of  bread.  He  and 
they  were  literally  destitute.  And  the  Elder  inquired  of  himself, 
''  What  has  made  this  man  a  drunkard,  and  brought  his  family  to 
poverty  and  wretchedness  ?"  Conscience  answered,  "  Your  whisky." 
''  And  who  must  answer  in  the  day  of  judgment  ?"  said  the  Elder. 
Conscience  replied,  "  You  ;"  and  spoke  with  a  voice  which  the  Elder 
could  not  but  hear.  He  went  away  heavy-hearted  ;  and  sorely 
pressed,  as  conscience  continued  to  echo,  ''  You  must  answer  at  the 
day  of  judgment  for  making  that  man  a  drunkard.'^  He  retired  to 
bed,  but  not  to  rest,  or  to  sleep.  He  got  up,  kneeled  down  and 
prayed,  and  went  again  to  bed,  but  obtained  no  relief.  He  got  up, 
and  kneeled  down  and  prayed  again,  and  retired,  and  so  again  and 
again,  till  he  got  up,  j^rayed,  confessed  his  sins,  implored  mercy, 
prayed  for  the  man  and  his  family  whom  he  had  ruined,  and  laid 
down  no  less  than  eleven  times.  And  his  distress  grew  greater  and 
greater.  Not  only  this  man,  but  one,  and  another,  and  another, 
great  numbers  whom  he  had  made  drunkards,  and  for  whose  ruin  he 


AND  REVIVAL  INCmENTS.  135 

must  answer  at  the  day  of  judgment,  rose  up  to  his  view,  and  he 
was  well-nigh  overwhelmed  with  the  conviction  of  his  guilt.  He 
rose  and  kneeled  down  the  twdflh  time  before  God,  and  not  only 
confessed  his  sins,  but  now,  for  the  first  time,  resolved  without 
delay  to  forsake  them.  He  promised,  before  the  Lord,  that  no  por- 
tion of  his  time,  or  property,  should  ever  again  be  employed  in 
making  that  which  tends  to  destroy  the  bodies  and  souls  of  men. 
xind  he  meant  what  he  said.  He  then  laid  down  and  slept  till 
morning.  Next  morning  he  rose,  cleared  out  his  distillery,  and  said 
that  no  whisky  should  ever  be  made  there  again.  He  made  known 
his  determination  to  his  children  and  his  neighbors.  One  of  them 
thought  he  had  become  too  superstitious,  and  offered  him  for  the 
use  of  his  distillery  five  hundred  dollars  a  year.  But  he  utterly 
refused,  saying  that  none  of  his  property  should  ever  again  be 
employed  by  anybody  in  Ihat  way.  He  held  to  his  resolution  till 
his  death,  and  tried  to  induce  all  to  follow  his  example.  With  his 
children  he  was  successful,  and  numbers  of  them  before  his  death 
were  hopefully  made  partakers  of  divine  grace  and  heirs  of  the 
kingdom  of  God.  The  elder  appeared  to  live  the  life  and  die  the 
death  of  a  penitent,  and  went  to  give  up  his  account  to  the  Judge 
of  the  quick  and  dead.  There  he  expected  to  meet  with  many  w^hom 
his  business  had  ruined,  but  as,  during  the  time  of  divine  forbear- 
ance, he  trusted  that  he  had  confessed  his  sins,  he  died,  hoping  for 
pardon,  through  the  boundless  mercy  of  God  in  the  Redeemer, 

The  Unanswerable  Argument. — R ,  the  blacksmith 

was  an  infidel  and  scoffer,  was  a  man  of  extensive  reading,  and  mas- 
ter of  all  the  ablest  infidel  writers.  He  possessed  a  ready  wit,  and 
when  he  could  not  talk  his  opponent  down,  he  would  laugh  him 
down  The  pastor  had  often  approached  him,  and  had  as  often 
been  repulsed.  As  a  last  resort,  he  had  requested  his  able  and  skill- 
ful neighbor,  a  lawyer  of  piety  and  talents,  to  visit  Mr.  R ,  and 

endeavor  to  convince  him.  But  it  was  like  attempting  to  reason 
with  the  tempest,  or  soothe  the  volcano. 

The  following  was  the  manner  of  his  conversion,  as  related  by 
himself  in  a  prayer  meeting  : 

"  I  stand,"  said  Mr.  R ,  "  to  tell  you  the  story  of  my  conver 


136  liEMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

sion."  His  lips  trembled  slightly  as  he  spoke,  and  his  bosom  beared 
with  suppressed  emotion.  "I  am  as  a  brand  plucked  out  of  the 
burning.  The  change  in  me  is  an  astonishment  to  myself  ;  and 
all  brought  about  by  the  grace  of  God,  and  that  unansiocrahh  argu- 
ment.    It  was  a  cold  morning  in  January,  and  I  had  just  begun  my 

labor  at  the  anvil  in  my  shop,  when  I  looked  out  and  saw  Mr.  B 

approaching.  He  dismounted  quickly,  and  entered.  As  he  drew 
near,  I  saw  he  was  agitated.  His  look  was  full  of  earnestness.  His 
eyes  were  bedimmed  with  tears.  He  took  me  by  the  hand.  His 
breast  heaved  with  emotion,  and  with  indescribable  tenderness  he 

said,  *  Mr.  R ,  I  am  greatly  concerned  for  your  salvation — greatly 

concerned  for  your  salvation,'  and  he  burst  into  tears.  He  stood 
with  my  hand  grasped  in  his.  He  struggled  to  regain  self-possession. 
He  often  essayed  to  speak,  but  not  a  word  could  he  utter  ;  and  find- 
ing that  he  could  say  no  more,  he  turned,  went  out  of  the  shop,  got 
on  his  horse,  and  rode  slowly  away. 

"  *  Greatly  concerned  for  my  salvation  !'  said  I,  audibly,  and  I 
stood  and  forgot  to  bring  my  hammer  down.  There  I  stood  with  it 
upraised — *  greatly  concerned  for  my  salvation  P 

"I  went  to  my  house.     My  poor,  pious  wife,  whom  I  had  always 

ridiculed  for  her  religion,  exclaimed,  '  Why,  Mr.  R ,  what  is  the 

mq,;tter  with  you  V     '  Matter  enough,'  said  I,  filled  with  agony  and 

overwhelmed  with  a  sense  of  sin.     '  Old  Mr.  B has  ridden  two 

miles  this  cold  morning  to  tell  me  he  was  greatly  concerned  for  my 
salvation.     What  shall  I  do  ;  what  shall  I  do  ?' 

"  '  I  do  not  know  what  you  can  do,'  said  my  astonished  wife  ;  '  I 
do  not  know  what  better  you  can  do  than  to  get  on  your  horse,  and 
go  and  see  him.  He  can  give  you  better  counsel  than  I,  and  tell 
you  what  you  must  do  to  be  saved.' 

"  I  mounted  my  horse,  and  pursued  after  him.  I  found  him  alone 
in  that  same  little  room,  where  he  had  spent  the  night  in  prayer  for 
my  poor  soul,  where  he  had  shed  many  tears  over  such  a  reprobate 
as  I,  and  had  besought  God  to  have  mercy  upon  me. 

"  '  I  am  come,'  said  I  to  him,  '  to  tell  you  that  I  am  greatly  con- 
cerned for  my  own  salvation.' 

*'  '  Praised  be  God  I'  said  the  aged  man.  '  It  is  a  faithful  saying, 
and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Jesus  Christ  came  into  the  world 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  137 

to  save  sinners,  even  the  chief/  and  he  began  at  that  same  scripture, 
and  preached  to  me  Jesus.  On  that  same  floor  we  knelt,  and  to- 
gether we  prayed — and  we  did  not  separate  that  day  till  God  spoke 
peace  to  my  soul. 

''  I  have  often  been  requested  to  look  at  the  evidence  of  the  truth 
of  religion,  but,  blessed  be  God,  I  have  evidence  for  its  truth  h^rt^y 
laying  his  hand  upon  his  heart,  "  which  nothing  can  gainsay  or  resist. 
I  have  often  been  led  to  look  at  this  and  that  argument  for  the  truth 
of  Christianity  ;  but  I  could  overturn,  and,  as  I  thought,  completely 
demolish  and  annihilate  them  all.  But  I  stand  here  to-night,  thank- 
ful to  acknowledge  that  God  sent  an  argument  to  my  conscience  and 
heart,  which  could  not  be  answered  or  resisted,  when  a  weeping 
Christian  came  to  tell  me  how  greatly  concerned  he  was  for  my  sal- 
vation. God  tatlght  him  that  argument,  when  he  spent  the  night 
before  him  in  prayer  for  my  soul.'' 

The  Norwegian  Apostle. — Many  years  ago,  a  Norwegian 
farmer  was,  at  the  age  of  twenty-five,  in  the  habit  of  making  excur- 
sions from  his  father's  dwelling,  for  the  purpose  of  distributing 
religious  tracts,  which  he  had  caused  to  be  printed  at  his  own 
expense,  and  which  he  sold  or  gave  away.  The  effects  of  his  labors 
were  perfectly  astonishing  ;  not  less  than  50,000  peasants  dating 
the  period  of  their  conversion  to  sound  and  vital  Christianity,  at  the 
time  when  they  first  became  known  to  that  remarkable  individual. 
To  the  sufferings  which  he  had  undergone,  it  is  most  distressing  to 
advert  ;  he  endured  eleven  several  imprisonments,  one  of  which 
lasted  for  a  period  of  ten  years.  There  is  a  passage  towards  the 
close  of  his  journal,  dated  in  the  year  1814,  from  which  it  appears 
that  a  fine  of  a  thousand  rix-dollars  was  imposed  upon  him,  and  that 
.all  which  he  possessed  on  earth  was  sold  for  the  liquidation  of  that 
debt  :  he  might  have  escaped  it,  could  he  have  prevailed  on  himself 
to  petition  the  king,  saying  that  he  was  unable  to  pay  the  amount  ; 
but  such  was  his  love  of  truth,  that  no  consideration  under  heaven 
could  induce  him  to  declare  a  falsehood  ;  and,  in  consequence,  he 
suffered  himself  to  be  reduced  to  the  lowest  degree  of  poverty  :  he 
allowed  everything  which  he  possessed,  down  to  the  meanest  utensil, 
to  be  sold,  rather  than  declare  that  which  he  knew  to  be  false. 


138  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

A  Colporteur  in  Norway. — When  there  was  great  spirit- 
ual darkness  on  the  continent  of  Europe,  and  everything  seemed  to 
threaten  that  the  light  of  the  gospel  would  be  completely  removed 
from  Norway,  God,  in  his  providence,  raised  up  a  poor  peasant,  who 
lived  near  Indenckihill,  on  the  confines  of  Sweden.  He  had  received 
nothing  but  a  common  education,  but  the  Lord  made  him  acquainted 
with  the  truth,  and  filled  him  with  zeal  to  communicate  that  truth 
to  his  countrymen,  who  were  perishing  for  lack  of  knowledge.  This 
good  man,  with  his  knapsack  on  his  back,  set  out  on  the  road,  went 
through  the  length  and  breadth  of  Norway,  proclaiming  the  gospel 
in  that  wild  and  romantic  country,  to  thousands  and  tens  of  thou- 
sands ;  and  the  Lord  gave  testimony  to  the  word  spoken  in  a  most 
remarkable  manner  ;  for  hundreds  were,  in  a  short  time,  by  his 
instrumentality,  made  to  see  and  embrace  the  truth.  It  may  be 
easily  conceived,  that  he  was  not  allowed  to  go  on  in  peace  :  the 
unenlightened  clergy  would  not  endure  him  :  they  stirred  up  the 
magistrates  against  him,  and  he  was  cast  into  prison  ;  as  soon,  how- 
ever, as  he  got  out,  he  was  again  at  his  work  ;  but,  at  length,  hav- 
ing come  to  Christiana,  the  capital,  a  most  bigoted  place  in  regard 
to  religion,  he  was  apprehended,  and  cast  into  a  dungeon,  and  kept 
eleven  years,  from  1800  to  1811.  But  he  was  not  idle  there  ;  for, 
like  Bunyan,  he  was  writing  treatises,  and  sending  them  forth  into 
every  part  of  the  country  ;  contriving,  in  the  space  of  a  very  short 
time,  to  have  one  hundred  and  twenty-two  tracts  published  at  Cas- 
sel.  The  effect  of  this  peasant's  labors  is,  that  at  this  day  there 
not  fewer  than  ten  thousand  followers  of  the  Lord  Jesus  in  that 
country. 

"Helping  in"  the  House-breaker. — A  very  devoted 
minister  was  converted  under  the  following  circumstances  : 

He  was  long  a  most  abandoned,  dissipated  character.  One  night 
he  was  found  trying  to  get  into  a  neighbor's  house  at  a  late  hour. 
The  family  were  aroused  by  the  noise,  got  up,  helped  him  in,  and 
made  him  comfortable  till  morning,  and  then  put  a  small  tract  in  the 
crown  of  his  hat,  and  sent  him  home. 

When  he  discovered  the  tract,  he  wondered  how  it  should  have 
come  there.     He  read  it  again  and  again,  still  wondering  where  such 


AND   EEYIVAL   INCIDENTS.  139 

a  message  should  have  come  from.  He  was  finally  brought  under 
deep  conviction  for  sin,  and  fled  to  •  the  Saviour  ;  was  drawn  to  the 
ministry,  and  is  now  a  very  successful  preacher  of  the  gospel. 

The  Man  of  Decision. — It  was  immediately  after  the  great 
fire  of  1835,  in  New  York,  that  I  was  at  Boston,  in  company  with  a 
Christian  friend.  We  put  up  at  the  Tremont  Hotel.  On  the  suc- 
ceeding Sabbath  we  were  walking  in  the  parlor,  conversing  on  the 
afflictive  providence  with  which  our  city  had  been  visited  ;  in  the 
course  of  which  reference  was  made  to  the  power  and  sovereignty  of 
God.  There  was  but  one  other  person  in  the  room,  and  he  was 
seated  silently  near  the  fire.  As  the  above  remark  was  uttered,  he 
stepped  up  to  us,  and  inquired  w^hether  he  had  the  happiness  to  ad- 
dress those  who  loved  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  With  some  surprise 
at  the  sudden  and  uncommon  inquiry,  we  rei^lied  with  pleasure  that 
we  trusted  it  was  so.  He  then  apologized,  with  much  courtesy  and 
in  a  gentlemanly  manner,  for  the  intrusion  upon  our  conversation  ; 
remarking  that  he  was  a  stranger  in  Boston,  where  he  had  come  a 
short  time  previous,  having  business  with  eminent  merchants  there. 
He  further  stated  that  he  had,  as  he  hoped,  been  led  to  taste  the 
wonders  of  redeeming  love,  and  to  rejoice  in  that  liberty  wherewith 
the  Lord  makes  his  people  free. 

We  had  become  by  this  time  greatly  interested  in  his  remarks, 
and  encouraged  him  to  give  us  a  history  of  the  hope  that  was  in 
him,  to  which  he  readily  assented. 

During  the  year  in  which  we  met  with  him,  he  was  providentially 
led  to  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  where  he  had  large  transactions  in 
business.  Here  the  Holy  Spirit  led  him,  while  walking  the  streets 
one  Sabbath  morning,  to  enter  a  church,  in  which  the  Eev.  Mr. 
P was  then  preaching.  His  attention  was  so  led  to  a  consider- 
ation of  the  holiness  of  the  Lord's  day,  and  th  \  sin  of  desecrating  it, 
that  immediately  after  service,  with  a  frankness  and  promptitude 
which  appeared  to  be  characteristic  of  the  man,  he  went  to  the 
counting-room  of  a  French  merchant  with  w^hom  he  had  engaged  to 
dine  that  day  at  his  country-seat,  and  told  him  that  he  must  be  ex- 
cused from  dining  with  him.  Upon  being  asked  the  reason,  he 
unhesitatingly  replied,  that  at  church  that  day  he  bad  heard  what 


140  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

had  convinced  him  that  it  was  wrong  so  to  do,  and  although  the 
invitation  was  again  urged  with  great  importunity,  he  steadily 
refused.  The  transaction,  liovvever,  did  not  appear  to  make  any 
lasting  or  saving  impression  on  his  mind. 

Shortly  after  this  he  went  to  New  York,  and  from  thence  to 
Boston.  While  there,  walking  one  evening  past  where  a  number  of 
persons  were  at  the  moment  leaving  a  prayer-meeting,  a  lady 
handed  to  him  a  tract,  and  politely  requested  him  to  peruse  it.  He 
took  it  to  his  room,  and  read  it.  The  title  was,  "  Quench  not  the 
Spirit."  Its  perusal  made  him  solemn,  awakened  in  him  emotions 
to  which  he  had  hitherto  been  a  stranger,  and  led  him  to  commune 

thus  with  himself :  "  E ,  how  foolish  and  inconsistent  has  been 

your  conduct.  You  have  provided  yourself  with  whatever  is  con- 
ducive to  your  comfort  and  convenience  while  travelling.  You  have 
around  you  all  the  appliances  needful  for  the  body.  But  what  of 
the  immortal  soul  ?  What  have  you  done  for  its  happiness  and 
welfare  ?  Nothing  ;  nothing  !  You  have  not  even  a  Bible  in  your 
trunk,  to  direct  your  soul  to  its  Author  and  Preserver."  Without 
delay  he  went  to  the  nearest  book-store  and  purchased  a  copy  of 
the  word  of  God,  and  at  once  set  about  its  perusal.  The  truths, 
the  warnings,  the  invitations  there  found,  only  fastened  the  arrow 
of  conviction  more  deeply  in  his  wounded  heart,  and  the  effect  was 
not  lessened  by  a  reperusal  of  the  tract. 

On  the  morning  of  the  next,  or  the  succeeding,  Sab'bath,  in  deep 
agony  of  spirit,  he  wandered  from  his  hotel  without  any  settled  pur- 
pose.    He  came  in  front  of  a  church  into  which  many  people  were 

flocking,  and  he  entered  with  them.     The  Rev.  Mr.  S ,  of  the 

Methodist  Church,  addressed  the  audience  from  the  words,  "  Quench 
not  the  Spirit,"  and  powerfully  unfolded  the  sin  and  danger  of  so 
doing.  The  words  pierced  the  very  soul  of  the  stranger,  and 
taught  him  more  and  more  the  total  depravity  of  his  heart,  and  his 
need  of  an  all-sufBcieut  Saviour  to  satisfy  that  holy  law  which  he 
had  fearfully  broken.  He  returned  to  his  room,  and  again  engaged 
in  earnest  prayer,  in  reading  the  Scriptures,  and  in  self-examination. 
I  think  he  stated  that  it  was  on  the  succeeding  Thursday  evening 
when,  having  obtained  no  relief,  he  took  the  word  of  God,  laid  the 
sacred  volume  open  upon  a  chair,  and  upon  it  the  tract,  and  kneel- 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  141 

ing  down,  prayed  for  divine  mercy  witli  an  earnestness  which  conld 
not  take  a  denial.  Thus  engaged,  he  continued  upon  his  knees  until 
nearly  the  dawn  of  day,  when  it  pleased  Him,  with  whom  is  bound- 
less compassion,  to  speak  peace  to  his  soul,  and  enable  him  to 
rejoice  in  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 

It  was  a  fitting  sequel  to  this  interesting  event,  upon  visiting  the 
tract  depository  in  New  York,  a  few  weeks  after,  to  purchase  some 
copies  of  the  above  tract,  that  we  heard  the  respected  depositary 
observe  that  his  stock  of  this  tract  had  been  lately  greatly  reduced, 
as  one  gentleman  had  purchased  no  less  than  six  hundred  copies  for 
distribution  in  the  AYest  Indies  ;  and  upon  inquiry  we  found  that  he 
was  the  warm-hearted  brother  whose  story  is  here  narrated. 

Example  of  a  Christian  Life. — The  small  farm-house 
w^hich  we  found  at  the  end  of  the  lane,  was  plain  and  neat.     We 

were  received  by  Miss  ■ ■  with  great  cordiality.     Her  dress  was 

simple  and  appropriate ;  her  manner  ingenuous  and  unaffected ;  and 
her  conversation  was  unconstrained  and  highly  spiritual — though 
betraying  sufficient  defects  in  early  education  to  excite  our  wonder 
at  her  present  attainments  in   divine  knowledge. 

During  our  conversation,  I  expressed  a  desire  to  know  something 
of  the  manner  of  her  conversion.  "What  was  it,"  I  inquired, 
"that  led  you  to  the  cross?"     "Sin!"  she  replied.     "Our  house 

used  to  be  a  very  wicked  place.     The  young  people  from were 

in  the  habit  of  coming  out  here  to  dance  and  play  cards.  I  was  a 
very  wild  girl.  One  night  in  February,  eleven  years  ago,  a  gay, 
noisy  party  were  here,  and  there  was  music  and  dancing.  They 
became  very  boisterous,  began  throwing  the  plates  about  in  their 
frolic,  and  behaved  very  badly.  In  the  midst  of  the  noise  and  con- 
fusion I  sat  down  by  my  sister,  and  said,  *  Sister,  what  do  you  think 
of  all  this?'  'I  am  tired  of  it;  aVt  you?'  she  replied.  'Yes; 
and  I  mean  to  live  a  different  life.'  I  thought  of  the  sad  prospect 
before  me  if  I  should  die  that  night;  and  I  determined  to  seek  the 
Lord,  and  perish,  if  perish  I  must,  at  the  foot  of  the  cross." 

"  But  had  you  no  previous  religious  impressions  ?"  I  inquired. 

"  Yes;  three  years  before  that  ball,  when  at  the  West,  I  was  under 
conviction  for  sin,  and  there  was  much  prayer  for  me  in  a  revival  o^ 


142  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

religion.  I  began  then  to  study  the  Bible;  but  I  returned  home 
soon  after,  and  our  house  vras  such  a  wild  jjlace  that  I  could  not 
read  except  on  the  Sabbath.  I  had  nearly  read  the  Bible  through, 
when  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  met  me  at  the  ball  I  spoke  of.     The 

pastor  of  the  church  at soon  heard  what  was  passing  in  our 

family,  and  came  to  see  us;  but  I  feared  it  was  nothing  but  excite- 
ment, and  knew  that  I  must  repent  before  the  Lord  for  myself;  so  I 
refused  to  see  him.  Five  members  of  our  family  were  rejoicing  in 
the  hope  of  pardoning  mercy  within  two  months  of  that  period; 
but  I  was  the  last  of  the  five  to  yield  to  the  claims  of  God  and  take 
refuge  in  Christ  Jesus." 

"  Why  were  you  the  last  to  give  your  heart  to  the  Saviour  ?"  I 
asked. 

"  Oh,  I  was  so  jealous  of  myself,"  she  replied,  "  I  did  not  dare 
to  hope." 

"  Were  your  convictions  deep  ?" 

"  They  were  overwhelming.  I  saw  that  I  was  a  great  sinner — all 
vileness  and  pollution.     My  heart  seemed  a  fountain  of  corruption." 

"  Have  you  enjoyed  constant  peace  since  you  began  to  hope  ?" 

"Yes;  although  I  have  had  occasional  doubts,  my  peace  has 
been  like  a  river.  I  have  not  known  what  it  was  to  be  free  from 
bodily  suffering  for  years;  yet  I  have  not  lacked  divine  support,  and 
I  don't  see  how  I  could  have  lived  through  my  trials  but  for  the 
grace  of  God  and  the  hopes  of  the  gospel." 

"  I  love  the  word  of  God!"  she  exclaimed  in  this  connection;  and 
her  features  lit  up  with  a  smile  that  was  full  of  spiritual  joy,  as 
the  conversation  turned  upon  the  Bible.  In  reply  to  the  question 
as  to  the  frequency  and  manner  of  reading  it,  she  informed  us  that  she 
had  "  read  the  Bible  through  several  times  on  her  knees  before  God." 
"  I  have  meditated  the  Scriptures  through  three  times,'.'  said  she, 
"  with  the  exception,  for  the  third  time,  of  the  last  eight  chapters 
of  the  book  of  Revelation." 

"Do  you  mean.  Miss  ,  by  'meditating^  the  -Bible  through, 

that  you  have  read  distinct  passages,  and  meditated  on  them  at  the 
time  of  reading  ?" 

"  No,"  she  replied:  "  it  has  become  so  familiar  that  I  don't  need 
to  do  that.     I  recall  the  historical,  biographical,  or  prophetical 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  143 

portious  of  God's  book,  in  the  order  they  stand,  and  bring  all  the 
incidents  to  mind,  and  then  trace  out  the  connections  of  the  scene  or 
event  before  me  with  other  and  parallel  passages  in  the  word  of 
God.  I  take  Genesis,  and  think  of  all  that  is  recorded  there;  then 
Exodus,  etc.  One  book  of  the  Pentateuch  will  last  me  two  or  three 
months  in  subjects  for  meditation.  AVhat  a  beautiful  book  Deute- 
ronomy is!  Then  I  take  the  Psalms  and  the  prophets,  etc.;  and  in 
this  way  I  meditate  through  the  Bible.  I  do  not  generally  attempt 
to  commit  the  words,  but  try  to  make  the  scenes,  characters,  incidents, 
and  events  all  my  own.  Ezekiel  is  delightful.  Sometimes,  when 
meditating  some  of  the  visions,  types,  or  seals,  I  seem  half  taken  to 
heaven.  I  think  the  last  nine  chapters  of  Ezekiel  are  the  most 
difiicult  to  understand  in  all  God's  book."  Turning  to  her  friend, 
she  inquired  with  affectionate  interest,  "  You  meditate  in  this  way, 

do  you  not,  Mrs. ?     You'll  be  a  growing  Christian  if  you  do. 

and  there  is  no  lost  time;  one  can  be  thinking  of  the  exodus,  or  of 
the  offering  of  Isaac,  or  of  the  captivity,  when  about  household  duties/"^ 

"  Let  me  inquire,  Miss  ,  if  you  read  a  commentary  with  the 

prophetical  writings  V 

"  Not  now,"  she  replied  ;  "  I  have  read  the  Comprehensive  Com- 
mentary until  I  have  learned  the  views  of  the  different  writers. 
I  find  so  many  opinions  expressed,  that  it  is  rather  confusing.  So  I 
confine  my  reading  now  chiefly  to  Scott,  or  meditate  on  the  prophe- 
cies till  I  understand  them,  with  what  light  I  have  received  from  the 
helps  I  have  enjoyed,  and  from  above." 

'•  But  do  you  not  find  the  New  Testament  most  profitable  and 
delightful  of  all  ?" 

"  Yes  ;  the  Old  Testament,  however,  explains  the  New,  and 
makes  it  clear.  The  types  and  prophecies  relating  to  the  Saviour 
are  so  striking,  and  their  fulfillment  so  complete,  that  you  cannot 
understand  the  New  Testament  fully  without  them.  I  love  the 
whole  of  the  word  of  God.  Matthevr  and  John  are  my  favorite 
evangelists — though  you  can  find  all  of  Matthew,  with  the  exception 
of  thirty-eight  verses,  in  the  other  gospels.  Then  there  is  so  much 
in  Luke  !  It  is  a  beautiful  gospel  to  meditate  upon.  All  of  the 
Bible  is  beautiful." 

We  were  impressed  with  the  facility  and  artlessness  with  which  a 


144  KEMAEKABLE   CONV^EESIONS 

personal,  practical  inquiry  was  thrown  out,  now  and  then,  as  the 
conversation  advanced.  Thus,  when  speaking  of  ''  meditation,  self- 
examination  and  prayer,  as  three  of  the  most  important  Christian 
duties,"  and  explaining  the  value  of  meditation,  among  other  things, 

as  an  aid  to  self-examination,  she  turned  to  Mrs. ,  and  said, 

with  great  tenderness,  "  You  examine  yourself  every  night,  of 
course,  Mrs. ;  every  Christian  does  thatP 

In  answer  to  a  direct  inquiry  on  the  subject  of  proyer,  she  said, 
"  I  have  been  in  the  habit  of  retiring  to  my  room  for  the  study  of 
the  Scriptures  and  prayer  soon  after  family  devotions  in  the  morn- 
ing ;  then  at  noon,  and  at  sundown.  Of  course,  I  commend  myself 
to  God  before  I  go  to  bed  at  night,  and  when  I  get  up  in  the  morn- 
ing.    All  Christians  do  that,  don't  they  ?" 

"  Do  you  find  any  occasion  for  ejaculatory  prayer  ?"  I  inquired. 

''  0  yes  ;  I  go  to  God  with  everything.  When  I  am  about  the 
house,  or  baking,  or  washing,  or  when  a  troublesome  neighbor  is 
here,  or  anything  goes  wrong  in  the  family,  or  I  am  suffering  pain, 
I  can  lift  my  heart  to  God,  and  he  hears  rae  just  as  well  as  in  the 
closet.  When  I  am  in  church,  and  the  minister  is  preaching,  I 
can  fix  my  mind  on  some  impenitent  sinner,  and  entreat  God  to  bless 
his  word  to  that  soul  ;  and  yet  I  can  hear  all  he  says,  and  profit  by 
preaching  all  the  more." 

The  next  day  was  stormy  and  unpleasant ;  but  I  could  not  deny 

myself  the  satisfaction  of  another  interview  with  Miss  .     An 

hour's  familiar  conversation  concerning  the  precious  gospel,  the 
experience  of  its  power  on  her  own  heart,  and  the  means  she 
employed  for  imparting  it  to  others,  only  increased  my  interest  iu 
her  history,  and  my  gratitude  for  the  grace  of  God  displayed  in  it. 
When  I  expressed  a  desire  that  she  would  remember  in  her  prayers 
one  who  was  ready  to  sink  under  the  weight  of  public  responsibilities 
and  private  bereavements,  she  replied,  **  I  have  prayed  for  you  ever 
since  the  day  you  were  here."  It  was  but  the  previous  afternoon — 
frequent  prayer  made  it  seem  longer.     "  I  pray  for  all  my  friends. 

When  I  think  of  the  family  on  my  knees,  they  seem  to  be 

right  before  me.     0,  how  I  love  them  I" 

For  several  years  after  her  conversion,  her  health  allowed  little 
more  than  the  cultivation  of  her  own  graces,  and  occasional  efforts 


AND   KEYIVAI.   INCIDENTS.  145 

for  the  salvation  of  others.  About  three  years  since,  however,  she 
was  so  far  restored  as  to  be  able  to  commence  more  systematic  and 
efficient  plans  for  the  spiritual  benefit  of  her  neighbors.  The  popu- 
lation around  her  was  very  wicked.  The  Sabbath  was  a  holiday; 
profanity  and  intemperance  abounded.  No  Sabbath-school  gathered 
the  children  from  the  streets  ;  no  church  called  the  people  from 
their  houses. 

She  called  on  two  families,  and  invited  the  children  to  come  to 
her  Sabbath-school.  The  kitchen  was  aiTanged  for  the  purpose, 
and  has  since  been  the  scene  of  her  patient  toil.  By  denying  her- 
self the  morning  service  at  church,  she  gains  the  quiet  hours  when 
the  family  are  away.  One  by  one  the  families  around  sent  their 
children,  until  the  number  increased  from  twenty-seven  the  first 
year,  to  forty-eight  at  the  time  of  our  visit.  From  one  family, 
residing  on  the  hill  three  miles  distant,  five  children,  the  youngest 
but  five  years  old,  walked  to  the  school.  With  the  exception  of 
such  aid  as  was  rendered  by  two  of  the  oldest  of  her  pupils,  in 
teaching  the  younger  children  to  read,  she  was  the  only  instructor. 
Sometimes,  from  illness,  she  has  been  under  the  necessity  of  laying 
her  head  upon  her  pillow,  while  carrying  forward  the  instruction  of 
nearly  fifty  pupils.  The  arrangement  of  her  school-room  must  be 
done  chiefly  by  her  own  hands.  The  government  of  her  untutored 
charge  all  devolved  on  her.  But  with  these  disadvantages  she  has 
persevered,  until  that  humble  school  has  become  the  centre  of 
religious  light  to  all  that  district. 

The  results  of  such  an  attempt  to  do  good  under  difficulties,  with 
the  divine  blessing,  are  suited  to  encourage  the  humblest  of  Christ's 
disciples  to  like  efforts.  The  Sabbath  is  now  honored  where  it  was 
profaned  ;  religious  books,  which  she  constantly  loaned  to  families 
through  the  children,  furnished  a  substitute  for  preaching,  and  did 
much  to  promote  Sabbath  observance,  temperance  and  piety  ;  the 
children  were  gaining  a  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures,  and  were  often 
in  tears  while  the  gospel  was  unfolded  to  them  ;  and  although  there 
were  as  yet  no  marked  instances  of  conversion  among  her  scholars, 
it  was  no  source  of  discouragement  to  her.  She  Kved  in  daily 
expectation  of  a  visitation  from  on  high,  which  should  quicken  the 
seed  she  was  sowing  in  hope.     The  harvest- time  is  coming. 

1 


146  KEMABKABLE  CONYEESIONS 

On  Sabbath  morning,  my  friends  from  the  mansion  accompanied 
me  to  the  Sunday-school  of  the  farmer's  daughter.  Perhaps  one- 
half  of  the  more  distant  pupils  were  prevented  from  attending,  by 
the  rain.  In  the  small,  neat  kitchen  were  gathered  about  twenty 
children  and  youths,  between  the  ages  of  four  and  eighteen,  includ- 
ing three  or  four  Httle  black  boys.  A  few  older  persons  had  also 
come  to  enjoy  her  instructions.  The  order  of  the  school  was  perfect. 
Though  a  little  embarrassed  by  the  presence  of  strangers,  she  pro- 
ceeded calmly  with  the  lesson,  which  related  to  the  character  of 
Judas,  and  the  betrayal  of  the  Son  of  God.  She  gave  a  clear  expo- 
sition of  the  passage,  and  added  remarks  of  a  practical  nature 
adapted  to  the  comprehension  of  her  youngest  hearer.  After  this 
exercise,  she  requested  the  scholars,  in  order,  to  repeat  the  Com- 
mandments. A  young  woman,  perhaps  seventeen  years  of  age, 
repeated  the  command,  "  Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  before 
me."     The  teacher  addressed  her  in  the  most  solemn  and  direct 

manner,  "  Sarah ,  you  have  broken  this  commandment  of  the 

Lord.  You  have  an  idol  in  your  heart  which  keeps  you  from  the 
love  of  God.  What  is  it  ?  Is  it  dress  ?  Is  it  pleasure  ?  You 
know.  It  will  ruin  your  soul  if  it  is  not  renounced.  Will  you  give 
it  up  ?  To-day  ?  Now  ?"  This  was  said  in  a  tone  of  affection,  and 
yet  with  a  solemnity  that  was  dreadful.  Sarah's  conscience  was 
roused  ;  she  covered  her  face  with  her  book,  but,  for  many  minutes, 
the  tears  trickling  down  her  cheeks,  and  the  heaving  of  her  breast, 
betrayed  the  emotion  which  these  simple  words  awakened.  This 
must  serve  as  a  sample  of  her  manner. 

After  the  commandments  were  repeated  and  commented  upon, 
she  began  a  review  of  her  "  lists,"  as  she  termed  them,  or  a  series 
of  questions  in  manuscript,  which  she  had  prepared,  embracing  the 
principal  events  in  biblical  history,  and  the  more  prominent  doctrines 
of  the  word  of  God.  These  were  answered  with  great  promptness, 
in  turn,  even  by  the  youngest  scholars.  A  class  of  the  smallest 
children  was  then  examined  in  the  "  Scripture  Catechism."  In  such 
ways  were  these  young  minds  familiarized  with  the  word  of  God, 
and  with  such  a  living  exemplification  of  its  spirit  and  power  before 
them,  as  to  impress  every  truth  on  the  mind  and  heart. 

Within  a  few  months  after  this,  Miss commenced  visiting 


AKD  REVIVAL  INCIDENTS.  147 

the  parents  of  these  children,  and  other  neglected  families  in  her 
vicinity,  distributing  tracts  and  books,  conversing  on  personal 
religion,  and  endeavoring  to  bring  all  under  the  influence  of  the 
gospel.  Besides  being  a  Sabbath-school  teacher,  she  became,  in 
this  sense,  a  colporteur.  She  also  sustained  a  school  for  colored 
people,  embracing  several  adults,  after  the  service  on  each  Sabbath 
afternoon. 

Such  are  some  of  the  ways  in  yvhich  piety  in  the  heart  works  out 
in  the  life.  This  feeble,  suffering  female  laid  the  foundations  of 
pure  morals  and  vital  religion  in  that  ignorant,  destitute  neighbor- 
hood ;  and  became  as  truly  a  missionary  as  was  Harriet  Newell 
or  Harriet  Winslow.  Her  efforts  were  appreciated,  and  her 
religious  character  respected  by  all  around  her.  She  was  "  a  light 
shining  in  a  dark  place,"  and  the  judgment-day  may  reveal  many  an 
heir  of  glory  led  to  the  cross  by  the  consistent  example  and  self- 
denying  labors  of  the  farmer's  daughter. 

About  "Election,"  etc. — I  had  been  reading  Baxter's 
Saints'  Rest.  I  had  studied  that  part  of  it  that  describes  the 
condition  of  those  who  lose  that  rest.  My  soul  burned  within  me. 
I  had  an  indescribable  desire  to  do  something  to  save  the  impenitent 
from  that  condition.  I  felt  my  commission  from  the  Most  High 
renewed  ;  that  my  commission  as  a  messenger  fiom  God  to  sinners 
was  as  good  as  any  angel's.  I  visited  the  house  of  two  ladies 
who  hud  for  a  long  time  supported  themselves  with  their  needles. 
The  elder  one  was  a  professor,  but  the  younger  had  no  hope.  **  If 
you  should  die  as  you  are,"  said  I,  "  do  you  think  you  should  go  to 
dwell  with  Christ  in  Heaven  ?"  "  I  suppose  I  should  not,"  replied 
the  younger.  "How  then  can  you  rest  until  you  have  made  your 
peace  with  God  ?  If  you  were  doomed  to  hell  only  for  twenty-four 
hours,  and  tears  and  cries  could  rescue  you,  you  would  weep  day 
and  night  until  the  pardon  came."  Then  turning  to  the  older  sister, 
I  said,  "  I  will  pray  with  you,  if  you  have  no  objections."  "  None, 
none,"  said  she  ;  "  T  desire  it."  I  took  from  my  pocket  my  Bible, 
and  after  reading,  I  commended  them  to  God,  praying  for  the 
younger  especially.  As  I  arose,  I  saw  that  she  turned  away  her 
face,  as  if  to  conceal  her  tears. 


148  EEMAEKABLE  CONVEE8ION8 

At  my  second  visit  she  wished  to  get  me  npon  some  puzzling 
doctrine.  "  How  do  you  understand  election  ?"  she  said.  "  In  this 
way,"  said  I :  ''if  you  ever  are  so  happy  as  to  get  to  heaven,  you 
will  give  all  the  glory  to  God.  But  if  you  go  to  despair,  you  vdll 
bear  the  blame  for  ever."  A  solemn  pause  ensued.  "  Well,  I  do 
not  see,"  she  continued,  "that  Jean  do  anything."  "  There  is  one 
thing,"  said  I,  "  you  can  do.  You  can  go  on  in  sin,  as  you  have 
done  ;  grieve  the  Holy  Spirit  ;  put  off  the  matter  until  death  over- 
takes you.  Then,  if  you  perish,  will  God  be  to  blame  ?"  A  pause 
again.  "  I  have  tried  a  great  many  times,"  she  said,  "  to  find  what 
you  recommend,  but  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  all  my 
efforts  are  an  abomination  in  the  sight  of  God."  "  Well,"  said  I, 
"  if  your  prayers  are  offensive  to  God,  how  do  you  think  the  rest  of 
your  life  appears  in  his  sight  ?"  She  wept,  and  her  sister  wept. 
Then  I  took  her  Bible  from  the  stand,  and  read  the  parable  of  the 
prodigal  son,  applying  every  point  of  it  to  her  as  I  went  on.  I  went 
to  prayer.  Both  of  them  fell  on  their  knees.  After  prayer  they 
said,  "  Call  again."  The  next  Sabbath  they  walked  a  long  way 
to  find  our  meeting.  As  I  reasoned  of  sin  and  of  righteousness,  the 
older  one  prayed  and  the  other  trembled. 


"  I  saw  you  last  evening  at  the  prayer-meeting.  I  was  glad  to  see 
you  :  and  now,  Nancy,"  said  I,  *'  have  you  given  that  hard  heart  to 
Christ  ?"  "I  fear  not,"  she  said,  and  covered  her  face  in  her  hand- 
kerchief. Then  her  sister  spoke,  and  said,  "  She  thinks  she  has 
done  all  she  can.  I  have  told  her  everything  that  I  can  think  of, 
but  she  has  remained  right  there.     She  has  said  over  and  over 

again,  how  I  wish  Mr. would  come."     "  Yes,"  said  I,  "  and  as 

soon  as  ever  I  knocked,  she  asked  me  in  :  but  my  Saviour  may 
knock  at  her  door  all  day  and  all  night,  '  until  his  head  is  filled  with 
the  dew,  and  his  locks  with  the  drops  of  the  night,'  but  she  keeps 
her  door  locked  against  him."  I  took  my  hat  and  went  out  to  a 
solitary  place,  and  there  that  poor  sinner  was  by  no  means  forgotten. 
But  she  thought  then  that  she  was  lost — that  I  despaired  of  such  a 
wretch  as  she  was.  In  a  few  hours  I  went  in  again.  Every  tear 
was  dried.  She  looked  despair  itself.  She  wanted  to  know  if  I  had 
given  her  up.     I  told  her,  "  No.     But  there  is  a  work  between  you 


AND  EEYIVAL  mCIDENTS.  149 

and  God  that  I  cannot  do.  I  have  prayed  for  you,  and  shall 
continue  so  to  do."  "  But  can  I  give  my  heart  to  God  now  ?"  she 
asked.  "  Why  not  ?"  said  I.  ''It  is  my  hard  heart  :  I  know  I  am 
a  hardened  sinner,"  she  said.  "  But,"  said  I,  "  you  are  a  greater 
sinner  than  you  are  aware.  If  you  should  see  all  your  heart  in  the 
light  of  God's  law,  you  could  not  live.  You  would  sink.  But 
Christ  is  as  great  a  Saviour  as  you  are  a  sinner."  I  prayed  and 
left  them. 


"  Well,  Nancy  I  have  come  once  more  to  see  if  that  hard  heart 
relents.  Do  you  keep  up  your  rebelhon  against  God  ?"  "  I  fear  I  do. 
I  have  done  everything  I  can.  It  all  does  no  good.  I  fear  I  am 
given  over  for  ever."  "  This  acknowledgment  turned  into  a  prayer 
would  be  a  good  one,"  said  I.  "Go  and  say,  0  Lord,  I  am  a  des- 
perate sinner.  I  have  gone  this  way  and  that,  and  am  only  in  the 
dark.  My  feet  are  in  '  the  horrible  pit  and  miry  clay,'  and  every 
struggle  only  sinks  me  the  deeper.  I  am  sinking.  Lord  save  ;  I  perish. 
Other  sinners,"  said  I,  ''  are  one  after  another  coming  in,  and  here 
you  are  fighting  against  God.  He  is  more  willing  to  pardon  you, 
than  you  are  to  repent.     Why  not  repent,  and  believe  in  Christ  ?'^ 


I  knocked.  Nancy  was  at  the  door.  She  took  me  by  the  hand. 
Tears  stood  in  her  eyes  ;  but  a  partial  smile  shone  through  them, 
like  the  sun  after  a  shower,  shining  through  the  last  rain-drops. 
"  How  is  your  mind  this  morning  ?"  To  describe  her  mind,  she 
gave  me  the  hymn,  "  Rock  of  ages,  cleft  for  Twe."  "  Can  you  accept 
the  first  line  ?"  said  I.  "  I  think  I  can."  "  Does  the  Saviour  seem 
near  and  precious  ?"  '*  0,  *  the  chiefest  among  ten  thousand  ;'  but 
I  have  not  as  much  light  as  I  could  wish."  "  Hav'n't  you  as  much 
as  you  deserve!"  said  I.  "  0  yes  ;  more."  "Walk  softly,  then,'* 
said  I,  "  and  rejoice  with  trembling." 


At  the  communion  she  was  present  and  looked  on.  She 
looked  at  the  bread  and  wine.  She  thought  on  Calvary,  and  on 
the  resurrection.  She  had  loved  her  money  ;  but  now  she  was 
ready  for  the  contribution.  She  wanted  -to  do  something  for  the 
missionaries  ;  and  every  time  there  was  an  opportunity  to  help  the 


150  EEMAEKABLE  CONVERSIONS 

Tract  Society,  she  did  it.  Now  she  is  on  missionary  ground,  where 
her  tender  sympathy  and  her  benevolence  have  room  for  action. 
When  her  sister  was  pining  on  her  death-bed,  it  seemed  hard  for 
them  to  part  ;  but  after  she  had  gone  home,  Nancy  had  nothing 
more  to  give  up.  She  bade  farewell  to  friends,  and  the  dear  church 
she  had  johied,  for  a  home  among  strangers. 

Taught  of  God. — During  a  revival  of  religion  in  one  of  our 
New  England  villages,  a  son  of  the  clergyman  returned  home  for  a 
brief  visit.  The  lad  was  a  deaf  mute,  and  had  spent  his  first  term 
in  the  asylum  just  then  commencing  its  history.  His  parents  having 
no  knowledge  of  the  language  of  signs,  and  the  boy  being  an  imper- 
fect writer,  it  was  almost  impossible  to  interchange  with  him  any 
but  the  most  famihar  ideas.  He,  therefore,  heard  nothing  of  the 
revival. 

But  before  he  had  been  many  days  at  home  he  began  to  manifest 
signs  of  anxiety,  and  at  length  wrote  with  much  labor  upon  his 
slate,  ^^  Father,  what  must  I  do  to  be  saved?"  His  father  wrote  in 
reply,  "  My  son,  you  must  repent  of  sin,  and  believe  in  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ."  ''  How  must  I  do  this  ?"  asked  the  boy  again  upon 
the  slate.  The  father  explained  to  him  as  well  as  he  could,  but  the 
poor  untaught  boy  could  not  understand.  He  became  more  than 
ever  distressed  :  he  would  leave  the  house  in  the  morning  for  some 
retired  place,  and  be  seen  no  more  until  the  father  went  in  search  of 
him.  One  evening,  at  sunset,  the  boy  was  found  upon  the  top  of  the 
hay,  under  the  roof  of  the  barn,  on  his  knees,  his  hands  uplifted, 
and  praying  to  God  in  the  signs  of  the  mutes.  The  distress  of  the 
parents  became  intense.  They  sent  for  one  of  the  teachers  of  the 
asylum,  and  then  for  another,  but  it  seemed  that  the  boy  could  not 
be  guided  to  the  Saviour  of  sinners.  There  were  enough  to  care  for 
his  soul,  but  there  were  none  to  instruct  him. 

Days  passed — days  of  parental  fear  and  agony.  One  afternoon, 
the  father  was  on  his  way  to  fulfill  an  engagement  in  a  neighboring- 
town,  and  as  he  drove  leisurely  over,  the  hills,  the  poor,  inquiring, 
and  hopeless  son  was  continually  in  his  thoughts.  In  the  midst  of 
his  supplications,  his  heart  became  calm,  and  the  long  distracted 
sphit  was  serene  in  the  one  thought  that  God  is  able  to  do  his  own 


AND  REVIVAL  INCIDENTS.  151 

work.  The  speechless  boy  at  length  began  to  tell  how  he  loved  his 
Saviour,  and  stated  that  he  first  found  peace  on  the  very  afternoon 
when  the  spirit  of  his  agonized  father  on  the  mountains  was  calmed 
and  supported  by  the  thought,  that  what  God  had  promised  he  was 
able  to  perform. 

The  converted  mute  became  an  instructor  of  others,  and  every 
Sabbath-day  found  him  in  one  of  our  large  cities,  with  a  gathered 
congregation  of  fellow-mutes,  breaking  to  them  the  bread  of  life, 
and  guiding  their  attentive  souls  to  that  God  who  has  power  to  do 
his  own  work. 

The  Bird  in  the  Church. — The  town  of  E is  embow- 
ered in  trees.  Its  ancient  and  spacious  church,  with  its  chiming 
clock,  and  towering  steeple,  of  beautiful  proportions,  although  in 
the  centre  of  the  town,  is  yet  in  the  centre  of  forest-trees,  which 
nearly  conceal  it  from  view;  and,  what  is  more,  it  is  the  centre  and 
home  of  the  affections  of  a  people  whose  ancestors,  for  nearly  two 
hundred  years,  have  there  worshipped  God  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 

On  a  Sabbath  of  a  year  of  unusual  interest,  in  the  late  spring, 
that  church  was  crowded  with  multitudes  anxious  about  their  souls, 
and  hanging  upon  the  lips  of  their  beloved  pastor,  who,  with  ear- 
nestness and  tears,  was  expounding  to  them  the  way  of  reconcilia- 
tion with  God.  The  doors  of  the  church  were  open,  and  the  win- 
dows were  all  closed.  During  the  progress  of  the  service,  a  bird 
entered  by  the  door,  and  flew  up  to  the  vaulted  roof,  and,  alarmed 
by  the  voices  which  it  heard,  gave  every  evidence  of  anxiety  to 
make  its  escape.  There  sat  in  one  of  the  pews  a  female  under  deep 
conviction  for  sin,  and  who  for  months  had  been  seeking  without 
finding  peace  for  her  soul.  Her  eye  soon  ht  upon  the  fluttering 
bird,  and  followed  him  from  window  to  window,  in  his  vain  eftbrts 
to  escape.  It  sought  an  exit  at  every  window,  and  almost  at  every 
pane  of  glass;  and,  as  it  fluttered  from  one  window  to  another,  this 
female  would  say  in  her  heart,  "  0  foolish  bird,  why  strive  to  get 
out  there ;  is  not  the  door  wide  open  V  It  would  now  rise  to  the 
ceiling — now  renew  its  vain  attempts  at  the  windows;  while  she 
repeated  to  herself,  ''0  foolish  bird,  why  strive  to  get  out  there; 
is  not  the  door  wide  open  ?"     And  when  its  wings  were  weary,  and 


152  BEMARKATtLE   CONVERSIONS 

when  all  hope  of  escape  seemed  to  be  abandoned,  and,  as  if  unable 
to  sustain  itself  longer,  it  lowered  itself  into  "the  body  of  the  church, 
it  caught  a  view  of  the  door,  and  was  out  in  a  moment,  singing  a 
song  of  triumph  over  its  release,  amid  the  branches  of  the  trees. 

When  the  bird  was  gone,  the  thoughts  of  the  convicted  person 
reverted  to  her  own  state  and  doings.  The  voice  of  the  preacher 
was  unheard  amid  the  conflict  of  her  own  thoughts.  "  I  have  been 
acting,"  said  she,  "like  that  foolish  bird.  I  have  been  seeking 
peace  in  ways  in  which  it  is  not  to  be  found,  and  to  go  out  from 
the  bondage  of  sin  through  doors  that  are  closed  against  me. 
Christ  is  the  door;  through  him  there  is  escape  from  the  dominion 
of  sin.  I  have  acted  like  that  foolish  bird  long  enough.  What  the 
door  was  to  it,  Christ  is  to  me.  As  it  escaped  through  the  door, 
so  may  I  through  Christ."  And  she  found  peace  in  believing.  And 
almost  as  soon  as  the  bird  commenced  its  melody  in  the  trees, 
rejoicing  over  its  escape,  she  commenced  making  melody  in  her 
heart  unto  the  Lord. 

An  Indian's  Gift  to  Christ. — In  a  portion  of  the  southern 
territory  from  which  the  red  man  has  now  been  driven,  I  once 
attended  a  large  protracted  meeting,  held  in  the  wild  forest.  The 
theme  on  which  the  preacher  dwelt,  and  which  he  illustrated  with 
surpassing  beauty  and  grandeur,  was  "  Christ  and  him  crucified." 
He  spoke  of  .the  good  Shepherd  who  came  into  the  world  to  seek 
and  to  save  the  lost.  He  told  how  this  Saviour  met  the  rude  buf- 
fetings  of  the  heartless  soldiers.  He  drew  a  picture  of  Gethsemane, 
and  the  unbefriended  Stranger  who  wept  there.  He  pointed  to 
him  as  he  hung  bleeding  upon  the  cross. 

The  congregation  wept.  Soon  there  was  a  slight  movement  in 
the  assembly,  and  a  tall  son  of  the  forest,  with  tears  on  his  red 
cheeks,  approached  the  pulpit,  and  said,  "  Did  Jesus  die  for  me — • 
die  for  poor  Indian  ?  Me  have  no  lands  to  give  to  Jesus,  the  whits 
man  take  them  away;  me  give  him  my  dog,  and  my  rifle."  The 
minister  told  him  Jesus  could  not  accept  those  gifts.  "  Me  give 
Jesus  my  dog,  my  rifle,  and  my  blanket;  poor  Indian,  he  got  no 
more  to  give — he  give  Jesus  all."  The  minister  rephed  that  Christ 
could  not  accept  them.     The  poor,  ignorant,  but  generous  child  of 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  153 

the  forest  bent  his  head  in  sorrow,  and  meditated.  He  raised  his 
noble  brow  once  more,  and  fixed  his  eye  on  the  preacher,  while  he 
sobbed  out,  '^  Ihre  is  jwor  Indian,  will  Jesus  have  himV  A  thrill 
of  unutterable  joy  ran  through  the  souls  of  minister  and  people  as 
this  fierce  son  of  the  wilderness  now  sat,  in  his  right  mind,  at  the 
feet  of  Jesus.  The  Spirit  had  done  his  work,  and  he  who  had  been 
so  poor,  received  the  earnest  of  an  inheritance  which  will  not  fade 
when  the  diadems  of  earth  shall  have  mouldered  for  ever, 

"  Do  let  me  Alone." — T.  S ,  says  a  minister  in  the  State 

of  New  York,  was  a  man  who  suffered  no  one  to  approach  him  on 
the  interests  of  his  soul ;  nor  would  he  allow  any  of  his  family  to 
converse  with  him  on  the  subject.  He  would  say  to  them,  "  If  you 
wish  peace  in  the  family,  if  you  wish  unmolestedly  to  enjoy  the  pri- 
vileges of  your  religion,  you  must  be  quiet  towards  me,  and  let  me 
and  my  belief  alone."  I  thought  him  a  troubled  man,  by  no  means 
at  ease  in  his  spirit  ;  but  whenever  I  entered  his  house,  he  was  sure 
to  leave  before  I  could  converse  with  him. 

At  one  of  my  Wednesday  evening  meetings,  some  one  of  the  family 
informed  me  that  he  was  to  start  the  next  morning  for  a  short  jour- 
ney. I  had  before  arranged  to  go  that  morning  into  his  neighbor- 
hood for  pastoral  visitation  ;  and  as  I  came  in  sight  of  his  house, 
which  was  about  forty  rods  from  the  road,  knowing  that  he  had  not 
seen  me,  I  dropped  at  his  gate  the  tract,  "  Danger  of  Delay,"  and 
passed  on,  still  unobserved,  when  I  felt  inclined  to  pause  and  see 
how  he  would  treat  the  little  message  I  had  laid  in  his  way.  When 
he  came  to  the  gate,  he  took  it  up,  looked  about  him,  and  seating 
himself  upon  a  rock,  commenced  reading.  I  soon  observed  him 
wipe  his  eyes  ;  and  when  he  had  read  it  through,  he  held  his  hand- 
kerchief to  his  face  for  some  time,  and  then  arose,  returned,  to  his 
house,  and  relinquished  his  journey. 

The  scene  took  such  hold  on  my  feelings  that,  after  making  a  few 
visits,  I  returned  and  called  at  his  house.  On  inquiring  for  him,  I 
learned  from  his  weeping  wife  that  the  tract  had  so  alarmed  him, 
that  he  dared  not  go  on  his  journey  ;  and  that  he  had  fastened  him- 
self in  his  sta-ble,  and  refused  admittance  to  any  one.  I  went  to  the 
stable  ;  but  in  agony,  and  with  an  emphasis  which  I  can  never  for- 


154  KEMAKKABLE   CONVEESIONS 

get,  he  begged  me,  if  I  did  not  wish  to  increase  his  misery  in  hell,  not 
to  talk  to  him  on  religion,  or  even  pray  for  him  ;  " for,"  said  he,  "I 
am  sure  of  damnation  ;  for  me,  who  have  so  long  rebelled,  and  who 
have  so  willfully  slighted  such  infinite  mercy,  there  can  be  no  hope." 
I  tried  to  convince  him  that  God  was  willing  to  be  gracious  even  to 
him,  however  great  were  his  sins.  But  his  constant  and  agonizing 
cry  was,  "  Do  let  me  alone  ;  there  is  no  hope  for  me."  I  left  him, 
and  returned  to  the  family,  whom  I  found  all  engaged  in  prayer  for 
their  distressed  husband  and  father.  After  uniting  with  them  in  a 
season  of  prayer,  I  returned  home  ;  calling  on  one  of  my  deacons, 
and  requesting  his  family  to  spend  the  evening  in  joining  their 

prayers  with  those  of  the  family  of  Mr.  S and  mine,  for  that 

poor  awakened  man. 

On  Friday  afternoon  I  called  again,  and  found  him  still  in  his 
stable,  and  in  as  deep  agony  as  when  I  left  him  the  day  before.  Ho 
still  begged  me  not  to  talk  with  him,  or  even  to  pray  for  him,  lest 
it  increase  his  condemnation  in  the  coming  world.  After  praying 
with  the  family,  I  again  returned  home,  but  never  felt  a  heavier 
burden  on  my  heart.  On  Saturday  morning  I  again  called,  and  still 
found  him  in  his  stable,  having  utterly  refused  to  converse  with  his 
family,  or  to  receive  any  food. 

I  went  to  the  stable,  and  said  to  him,  "  Mr. ,  are  you  deter- 
mined to  increase  the  long  catalogue  of  your  sins  by  self-murder  ?" 

He  replied,  '*  Mr.  B ,  how  can  you  think  that  of  me  ?  No,  no,  I 

will  not  add  that  sin  to  the  dark  catalogue."  "  But,"  said  I,  **  you 
are  doing  it  as  surely  as  though  you  were  to  cut  your  throat  ;  for 
you  can  no  more  live  without  food,  than  you  can  without  blood. 
The  best  thing  that  you  can  do  is  to  come  out  of  your  concealment, 
and  act  like  a  rational  man." 

He  finally  came  out,  and  after  taking  some  refreshment,  seemed 
more  calm.  I  conversed  with  him  ;  and  after  praying  with  him,  I 
told  him  that  it  would  be  better  to  attend  meeting  the  following 
day,  than  to  stay  away,  even  were  he  finally  lost  ;  for  then  the  sin 
of  turning  away  from  the  sanctuary  and  the  means  of  grace  would 
not  rest  upon  his  soul.  He  promised  me  that  if  able  he  would 
attend  ;  and  he  did.  And  as  he  entered  our  large  school-house, 
every  Christian  seemed  to  drop  the  head,  as  though  in  silent  prayer. 


AND   REVIVAL   ESTCIDENTS.  155 

On  that  morning  I  preached  from  the  words,  "  Come  unto  me,  all 
ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  Near 
the  close  I  proposed  the  inquiry,  '•  Who  of  you  will  come  to  Christ  ? 
He  is  ready,  he  waits,  he  calls,  yes,  he  urges  you,  poor  sinking,  bur- 
dened, and  dying  sinner,  to  come  to  him  and  find  rest,  and  jpcace,  and 
joy,  and  eternal  salvation.  Will  you  come  ;  and  come  now  V 
Persons  who  sat  by  him  afterwards  informed  me  that  they  heard 
him  distinctly  say,  "  Yes,  I  will  come  ;  and  I  will  come  now." 

He  soon  after  made  a  public  profession  of  religion  ;  and  in  relat- 
ing his  experience,  he  remarked  that  when  he  felt  the  resolve  in  his 
heart  to  yield  to  Christ,  the  removal  of  his  burden  was  so  sudden, 
and  his  joy  was  so  great,  that  he  could  hardly  refrain  from  shouting, 
"  Glory  to  God,"  for  so  wonderful  a  display  of  the  riches  of  grace. 
A  deeper  sense  of  guilt,  or  a  more  exalted  view  of  the  power  and 
grace  of  God,  than  he  expressed,  I  never  witnessed.  His  family 
altar  burned  morning  and  evening,  he  was  punctual  at  the  prayer- 
meeting,  and  was  one  of  our  most  consistent,  active,  energetic,  and 
devoted  Christians.  Thus  he  continued  to  live  for  many  years,  when 
he  died  in  the  triumphs  of  faith,  and  went  to  join  the  church  tri- 
umphant in  the  song  of  redeeming  grace  and  dying  love. 

Believing  in  God. — In  the  year  18 — ,  a  young  man  from  the 
South  entered  a  New  England  college.  He  was  the  child  of  infidel 
parents.  The  influences  of  home  had  all  been  adverse  to  the  reli- 
gion of  Christ.  He  went  to  college  quite  young,  and  was  a  frivolous, 
inconsiderate  youth.  He  had  no  religious  or  moral  principle  to 
guide  him,  and  to  seek  his  own  present  pleasure  was  his  object  in 
life.  He  was  quick  and  passionate  in  his  disposition,  easily  taking 
offence,  and  not  hesitating  to  resort  to  a  challenge  to  mortal  combat, 
as  the  proper  method  of  settling  the  difficulties  of  a  ball-room. 

In  becoming  a  member  of  a  "  puritanic"  New  England  college,  he 
found  himself  in  a  new  world.  He  attended  prayers  regularly, 
because  it  was  required  by  the  laws  of  college  ;  but  when  he  stood 
up  in  that  consecrated  chapel,  and  heard  the  venerable  president 
address 'an  invisible  Being,  he  said  to  himself,  ''What  folly  !  There 
is  no  God  to  listen  to  this  prayer."  He  said  in  his  heart,  "  There  is 
no  God." 


156  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

As  one  looked  over  that  assembly,  no  one  among  those  hundreds 
of  young  men  seemed  in  so  hopeless  a  case  as  that  young  infidel. 
But  God  had  said  of  him,  "  He  is  a  chosen  vessel  unto  me,  to  bear 
my  name  before  the  Gentiles,  and  kings,  and  children  of  Israel." - 
He  was  affected  by  the  Christian  influences  about  him.  The  Spirit 
of  God  touched  and  softened  his  heart.  He  began  to  ask  himself, 
"  Am  I  mistaken  ?  Is  it  possible  that  there  is  a  God  ?"  The  presi- 
dent of  the  college  took  much  interest  in  him,  and  gave  him,  in  pri- 
vate, such  instruction  as  he  thought  would  benefit  him. 

One  evening  the  president  talked  with  him  very  earnestly  and 

affectionately.     He  talked  long  and  faithfully,  and  when left 

him,  he  said  to  him,  '*  When  you  return  to  your  room,  you  will  find 
it  occupied  by  gay  young  men  ;  and  if  you  go  in  and  joim  them  in 
their  amusements,  all  these  impressions  will  be  effaced  from  your 
mind  :  but  do  not  go  there  ;  go  away  alone,  and  pray  earnestly  that 
God  will  enlighten  and  teach  you."  He  left  the  president  and  went 
to  his  room  ;  but  did  he  enter  it  ?  No.  He  heard  the  loud  laugh 
of  his  companions,  and  he  remembered  the  words  of  the  president. 
He  went  away  alone,  and,  perhaps  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  he 
communed  with  his  Maker. 

He  told  me  that  he  distinctly  remembered  the  moment  when  the 
truth  of  the  existence  of  a  God  was  first  impressed  upon  his  mind. 
He  was  in  the  chapel  at  college-prayers,  and  when  the  president  rose 
to  pray,  his  old  disbelief  passed  away,  and  he  felt  that  there  was  a 
God.  He  could  truly  say,  "  Lord,  I  believe  ;  help  thou  mine  unbe- 
lief." He  could  hardly  restrain  his  emotions  during  the  service,  and 
as  soon  as  the  prayer  was  closed,  he  seized  the  arm  of  a  pious  young 
man,  saying,  "  Do  you  believe  ki  a  God  ?"  He  wondered  that,  if 
the  Christian  young  men  about  him  did  believe,  they  did  not  manifest 
the  excitement  and  deep  feeling  which  he  experienced  at  that  mo- 
ment. A  light  had  suddenly  shined  into  his  soul  from  heaven,  and 
liive  Paul,  he  trembled  and  was  astonished. 

During  the  last  two  years  of  his  college  hfe,  he  associated  but 
little  with  his  former  companions.  He  roomed  alone,  and  spent  a 
portion  of  each  day  in  the  study  of  the  Bible  and  prayer.  He  was 
greatly  changed  in  his  external  character. 

When  he  left  college,  the  Holy  Spirit  accompanied  him.     He 


AJSTD   REVIVAL   INOroENTS.  157 

placed  himself  under  the  influence  of  a  Christian  minister  and  Chris- 
tian friends,  and  he  made  his  Bible  his  constant  study.  He  became 
a  pupil,  and  afterwards  a  teacher  in  the  Sabbath-school.  At  length 
he  ventured  to  hope  that  he  had  been  brought  out  of  nature's  dark- 
ness into  God's  marvellous  light.  And  now  this  young  man  is  a  Mis- 
sionary of  tlie  Cross  (the  Rev.  E.  J.  P )  in  a  dark  and  benighted 

corner  of  the  world. 

The   Proud    Husbemd  and  Praying  Wife.— During  a 

work  of  grace  in  C ,  N.  Y.,  Mrs. became  deeply  impressed 

upon  the  subject  of  personal  religion,  and  the  duty  of  yielding  her 
heart  to  God,  and  securing  an  interest  in  the  "great  salvation." 
With  a  decision  of  mind  characteristic  of  the  lady,  she  cast  away 
the  weapons  of  her  warfare,  made  an  unconditional  surrender  of 
herself  to  the  Lord,  and  speedily  found  "  peace  in  beUeving,"  and 
"joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost." 

With  some  apprehension  of  a  refusal,  Mrs.  informed  her 

husband  that  she  felt  it  to  be  her  duty  to  serve  God  and  to  unite 
with  the  church,  and  wished  his  consent  to  her  so  doing.  He  heard 
her  request  in  silence,  his  countenance  indicating  a  severe  mental 
conflict,  and  at  length,  with  an  effort  at  composure,  said,  "  I  have 
no  objections.  I  do  not  wish  to  act  the  part  of  a  tyrant  over  you ; 
unite  with  the  church,  if  you  feel  it  to  be  your  duty,  but  I  cannot 
go  with  you."  Grateful  to  God  that  he  had  put  it  into  the  heart 
of  her  husband  to  give  his  consent  to  her  uniting  with  the  church, 
she  hastened  with  joyful  steps  to  the  temple  of  God,  where  the 
saints  kept  ''  holy  day."  Upon  her  return  from  the  meeting,  in  the 
evenmg,  she  found  that  her  companion  had  retired  for  the  night. 
She  entered  the  chamber  softly,  supposing  him  to  be  asleep,  and 
bowing  by  the  bedside,  poured  out  her  soul  to  God  in  prayer  on  the 
behalf  of  her  much-loved  but  unconverted  husband. 

When  the  time  had  arrived  for  those  who  proposed  uniting 
with  the  church,  "  to  give  a  reason  for  the  hope  within  them," 
Mrs. was  one  of  the  many  who  presented  themselves  as  candi- 
dates for  membership  ;  but  her  husband  was  not  there;  he  had 
voluntarily  remained  at  home,  "  to  keep  the  children." 

During  the  introductory  exercises  of  the  morning,  to  the  wonder 


168  REMAEKABLE  CONVERSIONS 

and  surprise  of  all,  Mr. ,  the  husband,  entered  the  house,  and 

with  a  calm  and  cheerful  countenance  went  forward  and  took  a  seat 
by  the  side  of  his  wife,  near  the  pulpit.  At  a  proper  time,  he  rose 
and  said  as  follows:  "  Christian  friends,  I  have  come  to  tell  you 
what  God  has  done  for  my  soul.  I  remained  without  any  interest 
concerning  my  soul  up  to  the  time  when  my  dear  wife  asked  my  per- 
mission to  unite  with  the  church.  Her  request  fell  upon  my  ears 
like  a  thunderclap,  and  went  to  my  heart  like  a  dagger.  I  felt  that 
the  peace  of  my  family  was  destroyed,  and  my  proud  and  rebellious 
heart  rose  up  in  opposition,  and  had  I  followed  my  own  inclination, 
I  should  have  forbidden  her  to  make  a  profession  of  rehgion.  But 
I  feared  public  sentiment;  I  did  not  wish  to  be  called  a  tyrant,  and 
I  gave  reluctant  consent.  I  was  very  unhappy;  I  knew  I  ought  to 
be  a  Christian,  but  was  too  proud  to  confess  it,  and  I  resolved  that 
I  would  not  confess  to  any  one  how  I  felt  upon  the  subject  of  reli- 
gion, but  would  privately  seek  God  and  have  religion,  and  none 
should  know  it.  I  resorted  to  secret  prayer;  but  the  more  I  prayed 
the  worse  I  felt,  and  yet  I  could  not  forego  prayer.  I  assumed  a 
cheerful  aspect,  but  there  was  a  crushing  weight  upon  my  heart. 
On  the  occasion  of  my  wife's  praying  for  me  by  my  bedside,  on  her 
return  from  meeting,  I  was  not  asleep,  but  lay  like  a  guilty  culprit, 
trembling  with  fear,  while  she  pleaded  with  God  on  my  behalf  A 
more  wretched  being  did  not  exist  than  I  felt  myself  to  be,  but  I 
was  not  humble  enough  to  own  it  to  my  companion:  I  slept  but 
little  during  that  night.  The  next  evening  I  was  induced  to  attend 
the  house  of  God,  while  she  remained  at  home:  upon  my  return,  and 
entering  the  house,  I  found  that  she  had  retired  to  her  chamber;  but 
there  lay  the  Bible  open  upon  the  stand  where  she  had  been  read- 
ing, and  there  stood  the  chair  by  which  I  felt  assured  she  had  knelt 
and  prayed  for  my  guilty  soul.  I  trembled  with  emotion.  What 
must  I  do  ?  was  the  language  of  my  throbbing  heart.  I  read  the 
book  of  God.  I  bowed  my  knees  where  my  wife  had  bowed  before 
me,  and  with  tears  I  sought  the  mercy  of  God;  but  no  relief  could 
I  find,  because  I  was  not  satisfied  to  take  salvation  without  any  con- 
ditions. I  spent  another  restless  night.  This  morning,  after  my 
wife  had  left  me  to  come  to  this  place,  my  anguish  increased;  I  feli 
that  I  could  not  live,  I  must  yield  or  die.     I  could  not  find  relief  in 


AND   REVIVAL   INCroENTS.  159 

my  business,  I  could  not  take  comfort  in  my  little  children;  I  was 
of  all  men  most  miserable.  I  felt  a  drawing  to  the  house  of  God, 
and  after  asking  God  to  direct  me,  I  resQlved  to  come  to  his  temple. 
I  went  out  among  my  neighbors,  and  left  my  little  children  in  their 
care,  and  with  eager  steps  I  pressed  my  way  to  this  place,  sighing 
and  groaning,  like  Bunyan's  pilgrim,  beneath  my  burden,  until,  as  I 
was  ascending  the  hill  upon  which  this  house  stands,  my  mind  was 
led  to  Calvary,  to  Christ  and  his  finished  work,  and  I  was  enabled 
to  believe  on  him  with  all  my  heart;  my  burden  was  loosed  and 
rolled  away,  and  my  soul  is  filled  with  the  love  of  Jesus.  And  now, 
as  a  brand  plucked  from  the  burning,  I  wish  to  unite  with  my  dear 
companion  in  serving  God,  and  when  the  proper  time  shall  come,  to 
unite  with  the  Church  as  one  who  has  obtained  mercy  of  the  Lord 
as  the  chief  of  sinners." 

The  Faithful  Wife. — God  had  revived  his  work  in  many 

churches  in  the  city  of  B ;  multitudes  of  weary  sinners  had 

sought  and  found  rest  in  Him  who  is  exalted  to  give  repentance  and 

forgiveness  of  sins.     J H was  a  skeptic  and  scoffer,  but 

one  evening  was  led  by  his  affectionate,  pious  wife  to  hear  the 
gospel.  On  then'  return  home,  he  solemnly  asserted  his  intention  to 
go  no  more.  "  Why  not,  my  dear  husband  ?"  said  the  alarmed 
lady.  "  I  was  both  provoked  and  insulted,"  said  he  ;  "  that  entire 
sermon  on  infidelity  was  preached  at  me,  and  scarcely  one  in  the 
house  but  knew  it.  I  have  forever  done  with  church-going  and 
preaching." 

Weeks  elapsed  ;  the  wife  prayed  and  friends  prayed  for  this 
deluded  man — and  God  heard  their  cry.     Said  the  deeply  concerned 

Mrs.  H one  evening,  "Dear,  will  you   grant   me   one   little 

request  ?"  Being  unwilling  to  promise  till  he  knew  its  purport,  she 
continued,  "  Go  with  me  to-night  to  meeting."  "  I  will  go  to  the 
door,  but  no  further,"  said  he.  "  That  will  do,"  said  this  amiable 
Christian.  They  went  together,  parted  at  the  entrance  ;  her  heart 
absorbed  as  she  took  her  seat  in  fervent  prayer  for  her  beloved 
partner.  Some  minutes  elapsed,  and  service  had  commenced,  when 
suddenly  the  door  opened,  a  heavy  step  advanced,  and,  to  her 
unspeakable  joy,  her  husband  calmly  seated  himself  near  her. 


160  EEMAEKABLE   COISTVERSIONS 

That  night  Mr.  H was  interested  and  affected.     Hope  beat 

high  among  his  friends.     The  next  evening,  after  tea,  as  Mr.  and 

Mrs.  H sat  conversing  at  their  pleasant  fireside,  he  rose,  and 

while  a  tear  dropped  from  his  cheeks,  "  Wife,"  said  he,  '*  is  it  not 
time  to  go  to  church  ?"  She  sprung  from  her  chair,  and  though  it 
was  early  by  an  hour  and  a  half,  she  feared  delay  ;  and,  taking  hat 
and  cloak,  they  went.  That  was  the  happiest  night  of  her  life,  for 
Mr.  H presented  himself,  a  humble  inquirer  for  the  way  of  sal- 
vation, and  numbered  many  years  in  his  Redeemer's  service.  All 
who  knew  him  believe  that,  under  God,  he  owed  what  he  is  to  the 
sweet  influences  of  a  loving,  patient,  meek,  Christian  wife  :  "  For 
what  knowest  thou,  0  wife,  whether  thou  shalt  save  thy  husband  ?" 
1  Cor.  vii.  16. 

The  Lost  Bank-Note. — Mr.  A was  an  u'religious  man, 

nearly  sixty  years  of  age.  He  had  long  neglected  the  house  of  God, 
and  indulged  in  the  use  of  profane  language.  One  day  he  lost  a 
bank-note  in  his  barn.  He  sought  for  it  several  times,  but  did  not 
find  it.  At  length  he  said  to  himself,  "  That  note  is  in  the  barn, 
and  I  will  search  for  it  till  I  find  it."  Accordingly,  he  went  to  the 
barn,  and  carefully  moved  straw  and  hay,  hour  after  hour,  till  he 
found  the  note. 

He  had  told  me,  two  months  before,  that  he  knew  that  his  soul 
was  not  right  with  God,  and  he  intended  to  live  a  better  life,  and 
seek  salvation.  His  anxiety  increased.  A  few  weeks  after  he  lost 
the  note,  he  sat  by  the  fire  musing  on  the  state  of  his  soul,  when  he 
turned  to  his  wife  and  asked,  "  What  must  one  do  to  become  a 
Christian  ?"  "  You  must  seek  for  it,"  she  replied,  "  as  you  sought 
for  the  bank-note."  She  said  no  more.  It  was  "  a  word  fitly 
spoken."  He  tried  to  follow  the  direction,  and  through  the  grace 
and  mercy  of  Christ,  he  found  the  "pearl  of  great  price,"  and 
rejoiced  in  hope  of  the  glory  of  God. 

Influence  of  a  Wife. — Among  the  early  settlers  in  L -, 

Green  county,  New  York,  on  the  Catskill  mountains,  religion  hardly 
had  a  name.  But  there  were  two  females  who  met  weekly  for 
prayer.     The  Lord  heard  their  cry  ;  a  small  church  was  gathered. 


AND   REVIVAL   INCmENTS.  161 

which  was  soon  visited  with  a  revival  of  religion,  and  several  of  the 
most  respectable  families  were  brought  into  its  communion. 

Among   those   added  to    the   church  was   Mrs.  T.   P ,  who 

earnestly  sought  the  blessing  of  God  on  her  unconverted  husband 
and  children  ;  but  he  became  decidedly  opposed  to  all  religion,  and 
persecuted  his  wife  in  various  ways.  She  was  not  permitted  to  pray 
with  her  children  in  the  house,  but  used  daily  to  retire  to  the  barn, 
and  there  worship  that  Saviour  whose  birth-place  was  a  manger. 
She  was  decided  in  every  Christian  duty,  but  yielded,  as  far  as  she 
could  conscientiously,  to  the  wishes  of  her  husband. 

Mr.  P was  a  man  of  high  spirit.     He  became  excessively 

fond  of  company,  and  used  to  spend  his  Saturdays  at  a  public-house, 
where  he  indulged  in  drinking  freely,  and  by  his  associates  was 
called  "  Old  Head." 

In  the  early  part  of  May,  more  than  forty  years  since,  one  Satar* 

day  evening  Mr.  P returned  from  his  associates,  and  found  his 

pious  wife,  who  had  commended  her  family  to  God  for  the  night, 
engaged  in  reading. 

"  What  book  have  you  there  ?"  said  he. 

"  I  have  the  Connecticut  Evangelical  Magazine." 

"  Where  did  you  get  it  ?" 

"  It  was  left  for  me  by  my  friend  B ,  who  called  to  see  me 

this  afternoon," 

"  This  Mr.  B has  determined  to  rain  the  peace  and  happi- 
ness of  my  family.  You  shall  not  read  the  book.  Put  it  up,  and 
go  to  your  rest." 

j^rs.  P replied,  "  I  will  lay  by  the  book  because  my  husband 

requires  it,  though  it  is  a  great  sacrifice,  as  I  am  much  interested  in 
it.  The  blessed  Bible  teaches  me  submission  to  the  will  of  my 
husband." 

They  retired  to  rest — the  bosom  of  the  one  full  of  holy  peace 
and  anxious  solicitude  for  her  wandering  husband  ;  the  bosom  of  the 
other  full  of  dark  and  fiend-Uke  passions,  cursing  God,  and  perse- 
cuting his  people. 

Soon  Mr.  P arose,  saying,  "I  cannot  sleep  with  one  so  reli- 
gious and  saint-like  as  you  are."  She  proposed  to  retire  to  another 
room,  but  this  he  would  not  allow.    The  night  was  spent  in  silent 


162  REMAKKJlBLE   CONTEESIOlSrS 

but  ardent  prayer  by  Mrs.  P ,  and  in  anxious  tossings  and  bitter 

revilings  by  lier  husband. 

In  the  morning,  the  children,  as  usual,  were  assembled  in  the  barn, 
and  commended  to  God  by  the  pious,  heart-broken  mother,  and  in 

due  time  were  all  neatly  clad  for  the  house  of  God,  when  Mrs.  P 

gently  asked  her  husband  if  he  would  n*ot  accompany  them.  With 
an  oath,  he  replied,  "  No  ;  I  do  not  believe  in  the  stuff  taught  there 
for  religion."  With  deep  solicitude  she  bent  her  steps  to  the  sanc- 
tuary, where,  with  his  people,  she  could  cast  her  burden  on  that  Arm 
pledged  to  sustain  her. 

Mr.  P was  now  left  alone,  and  to  the  most  bitter  reflections. 

The  amiable,  decided,  and  conscientious  deportment  of  his  wife  ;  her 
patient  sufferings  from  his  irascible  temper  ;  her  firmness  in  every 
religious  duty,  shone  with  such  lustre,  that  the  contrast  led  him  to 
see  that  there  was  a  difference  between  the  righteous  and  the  wicked 
here,  and  must  be  hereafter.  For  a  moment,  he  thought  he  would 
follow  his  wife  to  the  house  of  God  ;  and  then,  with  his  razor  in  his 
hand,  he  was  about  to  take  his  own  life  ;  but  God  was  near,  and  he 
put  away  the  instrument  of  death. 

When  the  time  of  the  afternoon  service  arrived,  his  wife  again 
invited  him  to  accompany  her  ;  but  his  spirit  was  unyielding,  and  he 
promptly  said  he  would  not.  After  she  had  gone,  however,  he  de- 
termined that  for  once  he  would  go. 

He  went,  with  a  heart  rankling  with  hatred  to  God  and  his  peo- 
ple ;  but  he  soon  became  awed  at  the  presence  of  Jehovah  in  his 
sanctuary.  His  soul  was  deeply  agitated  until  the  close  of  the  last 
prayer,  when,  with  wonder  and  astonishment,  he  beheld  by  faith 
*'  the  Lamb  of  God,  who  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world."  His 
proud  heart  was  humbled  ;  God  was  exalted  ;  his  people  loved  ;  and 
to  use  his  own  words,  every  spear  of  grass  seemed  to  praise  its  Maker. 

He  returned  home,  begged  his  wife's  forgiveness,  acknowledged 
his  sin  against  God  and  her,  and  expressed  his  hope  of  pardon 
through  the  merits  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

The  grateful  joy  of  Mrs.  P cannot  be  described.  Her  per- 
secuting husband  was  now  a  man  of  prayer  ;  the  unnatural  father 
w^as  now  the  pious  and  devoted  leader  of  his  household  at  the 
throne  of  grace 


AND  EEVIVAL  INCIDENTS.  163 

On  sitting  down  at  his  first  meal,  his  reflections  were  most  bitter. 
"  From  deep  poverty,"  said  he,  "  I  have  been  raised  to  a  comfort- 
able living  ;  God  has  provided  for  me  ;  but  I  have  been  rebellious 
against  him."  He  asked  God's  blessing,  and  forgiveness  for  past 
ingratitude.  At  evening  he  called  his  family  around  him,  confessed 
his  sins  to  his  children,  prayed  for  and  with  them  ;  and  for  more  than 
thirty  years  was  a  consistent,  devoted  Christian,  and  a  deacon  of  the 
church  at  L . 

"My  Mother's  Prayers  haunt  me." — A  mother  with 
several  children  was  left  a  widow.  FeeliDg  her  responsibility  as  a 
parent,  she  gave  diligence  to  train  her  household  for  Christ.  That 
her  instructions  might  be  blessed  and  her  children  converted,  she 
was  unceasing  in  her  supplications  at  the  throne  of  mercy.  She 
would  arise  at  midnight,  and  in  the  chamber  where  her  little  ones 
were  sleeping,  would  kneel  and  pray  for  them  with  wrestling  impor- 
tunity. 

'  Her  eldest  son  becoming  restless  under  religious  restraints,  aban- 
doned his  mother  and  the  home  of  his  childhood.  He  bent  his  steps 
to  a  seaport,  and  enlisted  as  a  sailor.  He  was  absent  several  years, 
made  a  number  of  voyages,  and  under  the  influence  of  wicked  com- 
panions became  profligate. 

At  length  he  was  induced  to  visit  the  place  of  his  nativity.  His 
mother,  who  had  heard  nothing  of  him  from  the  time  of  his  depar- 
ture, was  dead,  and  the  residue  of  her  family  scattered.  Of  her 
death  the  sailor  felt  an  interest  to  learn  some  particulars,  and  whe- 
ther any  members  of  the  family  were  still  living,  or  remained  in  the 
vicinity  of  his  birth.  But  how  was  he  to  obtain  the  desired  infor- 
mation !  "A  man's  heart  deviseth  his  way,  but  the  Lord  directeth 
his  steps."  It  was  a  time  of  religious  revival  in  the  congregation 
where  his  mother  had  been  accustomed  to  worship.  He  was  told  of 
a  prayer-meeting  in  the  neighborhood  ;  and  knowing  that  his  devout 
parent  used  to  attend  such  meetings,  he  directed  his  course  thither, 
thinking  that  he  might  there  meet  some  of  her  old  acquaintances. 

When  the  sailor  arrived  at  the  place  of  worship,  he  found  the 
meeting  in  progress.  He  entered  and  took  a  seat  in  an  obscure  cor- 
ner, intending,  at  the  close  of  service,  to  ask  for  the  information  he 


164:  REMAKKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

was  seeking.  The  assembly  was  one  of  great  stillness  and  solemnity, 
such  as  a  genuine  revival  of  religion  usually  produces.  The  mariner 
would  not  have  been  dismayed  at  the  thunder  of  the  storm  upon  the 
heaving  ocean,  but  he  could  not  brave  the  silent  power  of  the 
prayer-meeting  and  religious  conference.  He  could  hear  nothing, 
save  the  voice  of  one  and  another  relating  what  God  had  done  for 
their  souls,  or  the  suppressed  sigh  and  stifled  sob,  which  arose  from 
different  parts  of  the  congregation.  The  "  still  small  voice  "  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  who  had  conducted  him  thither,  was  speaking  to  his 
conscience.  Unable  to  quench  the  fire  within,  or  longer  conceal  his 
anguish,  he  exclaimed  vehemently,  "i%  mother'' s  prayers  haunt  me 
like  a  ghost .'" 

Those  who  well  remembered  the  praying  mother,  and  had  a  slight 
recollection  of  the  wayward  boy,  now  became  deeply  interested  in 
the  distressed  man.  Such  counsel  was  imparted  as  the  circumstances 
and  state  of  his  feelings  seemed  to  demand  ;  but  he  writhed  with 
keen  conviction  for  several  weeks.  At  length  he  found  peace  in 
hopeful  reconciliation  to  God  and  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ; 
and  in  due  time  became  an  exemplary  and  useful  member  of  the 
same  church  with  which  his  mother  had  been  connected. 

"  Don't  Put  it  Off." — We  were  delayed  in  our  journey,  and 
Saturday  evening  came  upon  us.  As  Providence  ordered,  we  were 
welcomed  by  a  pious  father  and  mother,  whose  children  had  all  left 
them  and  settled  in  the  world,  except  their  youngest  son,  aged  nineteen, 
who  remained  as  the  staff  of  their  old  age,  and  for  whose  salvation 
the  mother  continually  offered  her  agonizing  prayer.  He  knew  his 
duty,  but  urged  that  he  should  have  a  more  ''  convenient  season." 

In  family  prayer  his  case  was  laid  at  the  footstool  of  sovereign 
mercy.  In  the  morning,  when  leaving  for  public  worship,  I  felt  au 
inexpressible  desire  to  give  the  young  man  a  tract  from  a  basket  with 
which  I  was  supplied  ;  and  the  first  that  appeared  was  the  two-leaved 
tract,  "  Don't  put  it  off.''  He  read  aloud  the  title,  and  was  evidently 
moved.  An  arrow  had  pierced  through  "  the  joints  of  the  harness  f 
and  as  he  afterwards  said,  his  old  refuge  from  that  moment  failed 
him.  He  attended  meeting,  and  returned  to  peruse  the  tract,  every 
word  of  which  went  to  his  soul.     With  new  interest  he  looked  into 


AND  EEVIVAL  INCIDENTS.  165 

his  Bible,  in  which  he  laid  the  precious  leaf  which  had  proved  to 
him  such  a  messenger  of  mercy,  requesting  that  it  might  always 
remain  there.  Great  was  his  agony  lest  he  had  "  put  it  off"  too 
long  ;  but  a  r6perusal  of  the  tract  made  him  urge  his  plea  the 
stronger,  and  while  reading  those  encouraging  words,  "  him  that 
cometh  to  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out,"  light  from  on  high  broke 
upon  his  mind.  His  mother  felt  that  indeed  salvation  had  come  to 
her  house,  that  her  son  who  was  dead  now  began  to  live.  He  gave 
the  most  decided  evidence  that  he  was  born  of  the  Spirit.  "  Don't 
put  it  off,"  was  his  faithful  admonition  to  those  who  were  without 
Christ.  When  I  some  time  afterwards  called  on  the  family,  I  found 
the  weeping  mother  bereaved  of  her  son.  She  showed  me  the  tract, 
and  blessed  God  that  our  visit  had  been  instrumental  in  bringing  her 
child  to  a  saving  knowledge  of  Christ. 

The  Word  by  the  Mouth  of  a  Child.— About  thirty 

years  ago,  visiting  H ,  in  the  wilderness  of  northeastern  Ohio, 

in  company  with  the  Rev.  Luther  Humphrey,  and  examining  candi- 
dates with  a  view  to  organize  a  church,  I  was  struck  with  the  nar- 
rative given  of  herself  by  Mrs.  M . 

Living  about  two  miles  from  her  father's  in  Massachusetts,  she 
one  day  took  her  little  son,  five  years  old,  to  visit  her  parents  ;  and 
a  thunder-storm  arising,  they  were  obliged  to  tarry  for  the  night. 

"  In  the  evening,"  she  said,  "  my  father,  as  his  custom  was, 
called  his  family  together,  read  from  his  large  Bible,  and  commended 
all  to  God  in  prayer.  In  the  morning,  the  family  were  also  assem- 
bled, when  he  again  read  the  Bible  and  prayed  ;  and  I  returned 
home  with  my  little  boy. 

"  I  soon  noticed  that  the  little  fellow  seemed  pensive  and  very 
sober,  and  asked  him,  '  What  is  the  matter  V  After  a  little  hesita- 
tion, he  said,  '  Why  doesn't  pa  do  as  grandpa  does  V  I  said  to 
him,  '  Poh,  go  away  to  your  play.'  My  little  boy  looked  disap- 
pointed at  my  answer,  but  ran  to  his  play.  He  was  gone,  however, 
but  a  short  time,  before  he  came  running  to  me,  and  with  more 
earnestness,  again  said,  '  Ma,  ma,  why  doesn't  pa  do  as  grandpa 
does?"     I  frowned  upon  him,  and  bade  him  the  second  time  go 


166  EEMABKABLE  CONVERSIONS 

away  to  his  play.  He  semed  grieved,  but  went  away.  Soon  he 
came  running  back  to  me  a  third  time,  and  still  more  earnestly 
cried  out  *  Ma,  ma,  why  doesn't  pa  do  as  grandpa  does  ?"  To 
pacify  him,  I  asked  him,  '  How  does  grandpa  do  V  *  Why,  ma,  he 
gets  his  great  Bible  and  reads,  and  then  goes  to  prayer.'  *  Well, 
ask  pa  when  he  comes  home.' 

"  My  husband  was  abroad  on  business,  and  was  not  expected 
home  till  evening.  The  boy  seemed  to  wait  impatiently  for  his 
father  to  come.  When  evening  came,  I  said,  '  My  little  boy,  it  is 
now  time  for  you  to  go  to  bed.'  '  No,  ma,  I  must  sit  up  till  pa 
comes.'  I  soon  tried  again  to  influence  his  little  mmd  to  think  it 
best  for  him  to  go  to  bed.  But  no,  he  must  sit  up,  contrary  to  his 
usage,  and  see  his  pa.  So  he  waited  till  between  eight  a,nd  nine,  when 
his  father  returned.  As  soon  as  he  stepped  his  foot  within  the 
door,  the  little  boy  ran  to  meet  him,  saying,  '  Pa,  pa,  why  don't  you 
do  as  grandpa  does  ?'  '  Away,  away  ;  what  are  you  up  at  this  time 
of  night  for.     Off  to  bed.' 

"  Nothing  more  was  heard  from  our  little  boy  until  morning. 
He  lay  in  bed  later  than  usual,  even  till  we  had  breakfasted.  When 
he  got  up,  I  placed  his  breakfast  before  him,  and  drew  him  up  to 
the  table.  But  he  did  not  eat  anything.  He  sat  very  demure, 
looking  at  his  food.  I  said,  '  Why  don't  you  eat  ?'  He  said  noth- 
ing, but  still  sat  almost  motionless.  I  asked  him  again,  ''  Why  don't 
you  eat  your  breakfast  ?"  '  I  am  waiting  to  ask  a  blessing,  for  I 
don't  see  that  anybody  will,  if  I  don't.' 

"  My  feelings  were  overcome  ;  I  could  contain  myself  no  longer, 
and  immediately  retired  into  another  room,  where  I  might  weep  aucl 
pray  undiscovered.  I  informed  my  husband.  He  was  deeply 
affected.  Without  delay,  we  sought  an  interest  in  the  Kedeemer. 
Our  own  family  altar  was  erected  ;  and  soon,  as  we  hope,  we  found, 
to  our  unspeakable  joy,  Him  of  whom  Moses  in  the  law  and  the 
prophets  did  write." 

The  father  was  elected  deacon  of  the  church,  in  which  office  he 
served  acceptably  to  the  day  of  his  death.  And  the  little  boy, 
grown  into  the  meridian  of  life,  became  an  ornament  to  the  Chris- 
tiaa  name  and  cause. 


A^B   REVIVAL   INCmENTS. 


167 


Prayer    Answered    "without    Hand."— A   work   of 

divine  grace  in  H county,  Va.,  in  1850,  was  characterized  by 

deep  solemnity  in  the  public  assembly,  and  by  an  unusual  spirit  of 
prayer.  A  daily  morning  concert  was  held  at  six  o'clock,  and  many 
who  were  made  subjects  of  special  prayer  at  these  seasons,  found 
Christ  to  be  precious. 

Among  these  was  a  young  lady  at  a  boarding-school,  who,  having 
experienced  a  change  of  heart,  became  much  concerned  for  the  sal- 
vation of  her  aged  father,  who  lived  about  twenty  miles  distant. 
She  endeavored  to  send  for  him  by  a  special  messenger,  but  did  not 
succeed  in  procuring  one.  She  then  addressed  him  by  letter,  inform- 
ing him  what  "the  Lord  had  done  for  her  soul,"  and  urging  him  to 
come  up  to  the  meetings  ;  but  fearing  that  such  a  communication 
might  offend  the  skeptical  mind  of  her  father,  she  did  not  send  it. 
There  was  one  resort,  to  her  covenant  God  and  Redeemer.  She  not 
only  offered  her  fervent  petitions,  but  went  from  one  Christian  to  an- 
other, and  engaged  them  to  pray  for  her  father  at  the  six  o'clock  con- 
cert. This  was  on  Saturday.  On  the  morrow,  many  hearts  unitedly 
cried  to  God,  and  through  that  holy  day  unceasing  prayer  ascended 
to  the  mercy-seat  in  his  behalf.  It  was  a  Sabbath  full  of  blessings 
to  that  people,  and  our  young  friend  evidently  felt,  in  common  with 
the  people  of  God,  that  the  place  was  a  Bethel,  one  of  the  heavenly 
places  in  Christ  Jesus. 

On  Monday  morning,  we  were  again  convened  in  the  sanctuary ; 
and  jiist  as  the  minister  announced  his  text,  "And  yet  there  is  room," 
an  aged  man,  a  stranger,  entered  the  church  and  got  the  only  vacant 
seat,  near  the  door,  the  house  being  crowded.  He  gave  unbroken 
attention  to  the  discourse,  and  was  much  moved  ;  at  times  the  unbid- 
den tear  ran  down  his  cheeks.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  service  some 
one  remarked,  "  There  is  Mr. -,  for  whom  we  have  been  pray- 
ing." I  looked  in  the  direction  indicated,  and  behold,  it  was  the 
stranger  just  alluded  to. 

I  made  my  way  towards  him,  but  before  I  could  reach  him  he  was 
with  his  daughter.  There  she  sat,  smiling  and  weeping  for  joy  ;  and 
yet,  like  the  incredulous  disciples,  when  they  heard  that  "  Peter 
stood  at  the  gate,"  she  could  scarcely  believe  that  she  saw  and  heard 
her  own  father,  while  he  vStood  over  her,  saying  to  her,  "  My  child,  I 


168  EEMABKABLE  CONVEESIONS 

have  been  an  unfaithful,  wicked  father  to  you  ;  I  have  taught  you 
both  by  precept  and  example  to  neglect  religion,  and  live  for  the 
present  world  ;  and  now  I  see  the  folly,  the  guilt,  and  the  peril  of  it, 
and  have  come  here  to-day  to  advise  you  to  seek  true  religion  as 
your  portion  for  this  world  and  the  next. 

"My  father,"  said  she,  "that  portion  I  hope  I  have  found  in 
Jesus,  and  if  you  will  be  a  Christian  too,  dear  father,  my  cup  of 
happiness  will  overflow." 

"  I  am  too  great  a  sinner,"  he  replied  ;  "  but  you  are  young,  you 
can  be  a  Christian,  and  I  rejoice  in  it." 

"  My  father,"  said  she,  "  you  can  be  a  Christian  too,  the  precious 
blood  of  Jesus  *  cleanses  from  all  sin.' " 

The  father  had  been  a  skeptic,  and  had  lived  in  the  neglect  of  the 
pubhc  and  private  means  of  grace  until  the  last  Sabbath  morning, 

when,  from  a  motive  unknown  to  himself,  he  went  to church, 

distant  about  ten  miles,  where  there  was  only  occasional  preaching, 
and  not  knowing  certainly  that  there  was  service  there  that  day. 
But  the  Lord  directed  his  steps  ;  for  then  and  there  he  heard  a  most 

faithful  sermon  from  the  late  Rev.  S.  T ,  who  was  on  a  visit  to 

that  church.  He  returned  to  his  home  deeply  impressed.  "  The 
multitude  of  his  thoughts  troubled  him."  He  found  no  rest  by  day, 
and  sleep  forsook  his  eyelids.  In  the  Bible  of  his  deceased  wife  he 
read,  to  his  own  conviction  and  condemnation.  And  yet  he  read, 
and  thought,  and  paced  his  chamber,  and  read,  and  thought  <igain, 
the  livelong  night,  until  the  burden  of  his  sins  brought  the  proud, 
stout-hearted  skeptic  to  his  knees.  He  then  thought  of  his  daugh- 
ter, whose  spiritual  interests  he  had  neglected,  and  he  resolved  to 
visit  her  in  the  morning.  He  accordingly  rode  to  the  school,  a  dis- 
tance of  nearly  twenty  miles  ;  and  there  learning  that  the  famUy 
were  at  church,  he  hastened  on  and  got  there  just  as  the  preacher 
was  announcing  his  text. 

On  the  morrow,  he  returned  again  to  the  church,  we  trust,  a 
changed  man,  rejoicing  in  our  redeeming  God  and  Saviour. 

Poor  Zeke  and  His  Prayers.— In  a  wild,  sequestered 
place,  quite  away  from  the  bounds  of  my  congregation,  there  lived 
a  very  wicked  family — a  father,  mother,  two  brothers,  and  three 


AND   EEVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  169 

sisters.  None  of  them  attended  any  meeting.  One  of  the  brothers 
was  wanting  in  common  sense.  His  name  was  Ezekiel.  As  he  was 
not  supposed  to  have  mind  enough  to  be  put  to  any  work,  he  used 
to  stroll  away,  and  be  gone  sometimes  several  days. 

One  day,  as  I  was  preaching  on  the  pity  Jesus  has  for  poor  sin- 
ners, I  observed  "  poor  Zeke  "  looking  me  in  the  face,  and  every 
time  I  said  Jesus  pitied  poor  sinners,  the  tears  would  start  from  his 
eyes.  As  there  was  more  than  usual  attention  to  religion,  we  had 
meetings  often  ;  and  whether  it  was  a  lecture,  or  a  prayer  meeting, 
or  an  inquiry-meeting,  "  poor  Zeke"  was  sure  to  be  there. 

At  length  I  asked  him  if  he  loved  Jesus,  and  he  answered, 
"  Yes."  "  Why  do  you  love  Jesus  ?"  said  I.  "  0,  'cause  he  love 
poor  wicked  Zeke  so."  "  Have  you  been  wicked  ?"  "  Yes,  I  fidl, 
full  of  wicked."  "  Do  you  pray  ?"  said  I.  "  0,  yes."  "  What  do 
you  say  when  you  pray  ?"  "I  say,  0  my  Jesus,  pity  poor  Zeke. 
0  take  all  my  wicked  away." 

After  a  while  he  went  home.  His  appearance  was  changed.  He 
had  lost  his  seeming  vacancy  of  look  and  thought.  But  he  dare  not 
pray  in  the  house,  for  all  were  full  of  fun  and  noise.  So  he  went  to 
the  barn,  and  there  he  fell  on  his  knees  and  uttered  his  broken 
prayer  to  Him  who  "  hath  chosen  the  weak  things  of  this  world  to 
confound  the  mighty."  His  brother,  going  into  the  barn,  heard 
him  crying  to  God  so  fervently  that  it  alarmed  him.  He  went  in 
and  told  his  father,  with  an  oath,  that  Zeke  was  in  the  barn  pray- 
ing. At  this,  his  father  ran  to  the  barn  and  listened,  and  found  the 
boy  indeed  at  prayer.  He  went  in  and  spoke  to  him  ;  but  he 
"  cried  so  much  the  more  a  great  deal."  ''  Stop  your  noise,  Zeke," 
said  his  angry  father  ;  but  he  kept  on.  So  they  took  hold  of  him 
and  got  him  into  the  house,  in  hopes  of  quieting  him. 

They  asked  him  where  he  had  been,  and  how  ho  came  to  feel  so. 
He  told  them  a  very  rational  story  about  it.  But  the  more  he 
talked,  the  more  his  father  scolded.  Poor  Zeke  found  he  could  say 
no  more,  and  then  fell  down  on  his  knees  again.  His  father  tried  to 
silence  him  ;  but  his  mother  loved  her  poor  boy,  and  begged  thena 
to  let  him  pray. 

When  he  had  risen  from  prayer,  his  mother  said,  "  It  is  high  time 
we  all  prayed.     Ezekiel,  will  you  pray  for  your  mother  ?"     "0 

8 


170  EEMAEKABLE   COI^VEESIONS 

yes,"  be  said  ;  and  down  again  he  went  upon  his  knees,  and  his 
mother  with  him.  Not  many  days  after,  she  too  was  full  of  joy  at 
the  thought  of  Jesus'  dying  pity.  By  this  time,  the  brother  who 
first  heard  him  pray  was  sobbing  out,  "  What  shall  I  do  ?"  Poor 
Zeke  said,  "  Go  to  Jesus."  Then  he  and  his  mother  prayed  for 
him,  and  he,  too,  found  his  distress  giving  way  for  unspeakable  joy. 
Then  there  were  three  to  pray  for  a  hardened  husband  and  an  un- 
feeling father.  He  fought  and  ridiculed  until  their  three  daughters 
were  added  to  the  Lord.  This  made  five  who  had  now  joined 
Ezekiel  and  embraced  his  religion. 

At  last  his  father  saw  himself  alone.  His  heart  broke  ;  he  wept 
like  a  child.  He  went  to  his  son  and  confessed  his  sin  in  opposing 
him,  and  asked  him  to  pray  for  him.  His  burden  was  removed  ;  he 
rejoiced  in  God.  He  erected  the  family  altar,  and  it  was  a  solemn 
sight  to  see  seven  persons  who  had  a  few  weeks  before  been  profane 
and  careless,  now  all  brought  over  from  the  service  of  Satan  to  the 
service  of  the  Lord.  And  it  was  a  joyful  day  when  poor  Zeke,  with 
his  father  and  mother,  his  brother  and  sisters,  united  with  God's 
people,  and  came  together  to  the  communion. 

Jesus  Christ's  Residence. — Let  us  strive  to  get  hold  of  the 
kernel,  let  us  hold  on  to  that  and  throw  the  husk  away.  It  is  re- 
lated of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Nettleton,  that  when  he  was  preaching  in  the 

State  of ,  where  revivals  of  religion  attended  him,  he  took  an 

early  walk  one  morning,  and  passing  a  family  of  much  pretension, 
he  called.  The  lady  of  the  house  came  to  the  door.  "  Good  morn- 
ing, madam,"  said  he  ;  "  does  Jesus  Christ  live  here  ?"  The  lady, 
thrown  off  her  guard  replied,  "  No,  sir  ;  he  does  not."  "  Ah," 
said  he,  "  then  I  was  mistaken  ;  I  thought  he  might.  Good  morn- 
ing, madam,"  and  walked  immediately  on.  This  put  the  lady  on  a 
course  of  thinking  which  resulted  in  her  conversion.  She  pulled  off 
the  husk  and  got  at  the  kernel. 

The  Thirty  Years'  Prayer. — At  the  weekly  prayer-meeting 

in ,  an  aged,  wealthy  and  influential  man  entered,  who,  during 

a  long  life,  had  been  seemingly  indifferent  to  his  spmtual  welfare  ; 
and,  to  the  surprise  of  all  present,  he  rose,  under  deep  emotion,  and 


AXD   REVIVAL  mCIDENTS.  171 

asked  the  prayers  of  GocVs  people  for  his  own  conversion.  The 
next  week  he  was  again  among  them,  apparently  a  penitent  at  the 
foot  of  the  cross. 

As  the  intelligence  of  his  hopeful  conversion  spread  next  day  in 
the  congregation,  it  reached  an  infirm  and  aged  Christian,  who  had 
for  years  been  confined  to  his  house,  and  was  daily  waiting  his  sum- 
mons to  depart.  On  hearing  it,  he  insisted  on  being  carried  to  see 
the  wealthy  man,  and  would  intrust  his  message  to  no  one.  After 
a  long  interview,  he  returned  home  rejoicing. 

The  cause  of  the  infirm  man's  interest  in  this  visit  was  perhaps 
known  only  to  himself  and  his  venerable  pastor.  Thirty  years  ago, 
as  he  was  burning  coal  on  the  mountain-side,  two  of  his  neighbors 
visited  his  little  shanty,  found  him  engaged  in  reading  his  Bible  and 
in  prayer,  and  joined  him  in  his  devotions.  Ere  they  separated, 
they  agreed  to  meet  again  the  next  week  on  the  mountain  to  pray, 
as  did  the  Saviour  ;  and  from  week  to  week  they  met  in  this  quiet 
retreat,  which  proved  indeed  a  Bethel.  One  evening  they  spoke  of 
their  wealthy  neighbor,  mourning  that  he  was  living  for  this  world 
only,  when  he  was  so  much  needed  in  the  church  of  Christ  ;  and 
they  at  last  entered  into  a  written  secret  covenant  with  each  other, 
before  God,  not  to  cease  praying  for  his  conversion  until  he  should 
be  brought  in  or  die,  or  they  should  all  be  called  to  their  final 
account . 

Years  of  prayer  passed  on,  during  which  their  faith  failed  not ; 
one  of  the  suppliants  was  at  length  called  home,  then  another  ;  and 
the  old  coal-burner,  though  left  alone,  yet  persevered.  Thirty  years 
had  passed  when  the  above  news  reached  him  ;  his  visit  was  made, 
and  he  came  out  of  the  house  of  his  wealthy  neighbor,  sayiag, 
"  Now,  Lord,  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace  ;  for  mine 
eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation." 

An  Angry  Controversy  Settled. — In  the  year  1831,  in 
one  of  the  Southern  States,  there  existed  a  legal  controversy  between 
two  neighbors,  who  had,  up  to  this  time,  been  intimate  friends,  and 
soon  it  engendered  a  bitter  personal  animosity  between  them,  and 
alienated  their  respective  friends.  Their  families  belonged  to  the 
same  congregation,   and  their  wives  were   members  of  the  same 


I 


172  REMARKABLE  CONVERSIONS 

church,  and  were  held  in  high  esteem  for  their  intelligence  and 
piety.  Considering  the  family  relations  of  the  parties,  it  is  not  sur- 
prising that  the  church  and  the  community  should  be  seriously 
agitated  by  this  quarrel ;  and  that  it  proved  a  source  of  annoyance 
and  grief  not  only  to  Christians,  but  to  all  their  right-minded 
neighbors. 

They  were  men  of  strong  nerve,  of  great  physical  power,  and  dis- 
tinguished in  a  high  degree  by  what  the  world  calls  courage. 
Urged  on  by  pride,  ambition,  or  revenge,  the  contest  waxed  hotter 
and  hotter,  so  that  all  acquainted  with  the  circumstances  were  in 
constant  fear  of  a  bloody,  if  not  of  a  deadly  rencontre. 

One  of  the  parties  had  prepared  and  intended  to  file  a  bill  in 
chancery  within  the  next  ten  days,  which  he  knew  would  greatly 
irritate  his  antagonist,  and  provoke  him  to  a  personal  assault,  when 
the  case  would  probably  have  been  settled  by  the  death  of  one  or 
both  of  them.    On  all  public  occasions  they  carried  deadly  weapons. 

In  this  state  of  things,  the  Lord  poured  out  his  Spirit  upon  that 
community  ;  hundreds  of  minds  became  impressed  with  religious 
truth,  and  it  is  believed  many  souls  were  truly  converted  to  God. 
The  third  Sabbath  in  June  is  a  day  to  be  held  in  everlasting  remem- 
brance by  that  congregation.  On  that  day  more  than  one  hundred 
and  fifty  persons  presented  themselves  as  inquirers  after  the  way  of 
salvation,  some  of  whom  then  and  there  sought  and  found  hope  in 
Christ.  These  two  litigants  were  present,  and  were  smitten  and 
wounded  by  the  sword  of  the  Spirit.  *' The  strong  men"  bowed 
themselves,  and  at  the  close  of  the  services  went  away  overwhelmed 
with  a  sense  of  their  guilt  and  ruin,  though  entirely  ignorant  of  the 
state  of  each  other's  minds. 

On  the  morrow,  they  again  repaired  to  the  house  of  the  Lord  ; 
and  previous  to  the  commencement  of  public  worship,  the  two  belli- 
gerents providentially  met  face  to  face,  while  walking  in  a  beautiful 

grove  near  the  church.     Mr. first  spoke,  and  said,  "  Captain 

,  I  have  a  proposition  to  submit  to  you."  The  ''  captain,"  sup- 
posing he  had  reference  to  the  suit  that  was  to  be  tried  in  a  few 
days,  replied,  witli  as  much  coldness  and  hauteur  in  his  manner  as 
he  could  command,  "  I  am  ready  to  hear  you,  sir  ;  what  is  it  ?" 
Mr.  ,  unable  any  longer  to  restrain  his  feelings,  answered  with 


AND   REVIVAL   ESrCIDENTS.  173 

the  deepest  emotion,  "  It  is,  sir,  that  we  cast  behind  us  our  follies 
and  sins,  and  live  together  from  this  day  as  neighbors  and  Chris- 
tians." 

The  captain  was  subdued  and  unmanned  ;  in  a  moment  they  were 
lock*  d  in  each  other's  arms,  weeping  like  little  children,  and  vying 
with  each  other  in  making  acknowledgments  and  concessions.  They 
were  friends.  The  pious  rejoiced,  and  were  greatly  encouraged"  in 
the  work  of  the  Lord,  and  the  impenitent  received  a  most  impressive 
illustration  of  the  power  and  value  of  the  Christian  religion,  and 
many  more  sought  and  found  it  in  the  "  pearl  of  great  price."  The 
lawsuit  was  settled  without  a  trial,  the  loaded  pistols  were  un- 
charged and  put  away  ;  and  henceforth  they  lived  as  neighbors  on 
terms  of  amity. 

The  Stone  rolled  away.— In  1842,  an  unusual  seriousness 
prevailed  in  one  of  our  New  England  colleges  ;  meetings  for  prayer 
were  held  in  different  rooms,  and  there  was  less  rudeness  and  levity 
in  the  halls  and  about  the  college  grounds. 

In  one  of  the  prayer-meetings  held  by  the  pious  students  of  the 
Senior  class,  it  was  determined  to  make  a  direct  personal  appeal 
to  each  of  their  unconverted  class-mates.  It  fell  to  my  lot  to 
converse  with  one  who  had  been  a  master-spirit  among  the  ungodly, 
who  ridiculed  everything  serious,  and  in  fact  made  a  mock  of  all 
religion.  The  duty  was  dechned,  as  I  felt  that  I  was  altogether 
inadequate  to  the  task.  I  was  diffident,  slow  of  speech,  and  could 
not  think  of  approaching  one  whose  tongue  was  ever  ready  with 
biting  sarcasm  and  brutal  infidel  wit.  But  my  brethren  would  not 
excuse  me.  With  a  trembling  heart  I  consented,  though  with  little 
faith  as  to  any  good  result  flowing  from  the  interview. 

At  the  close  of  the  meeting  I  retired  to  my  room,  and  fallino* 
on  my  knees,  prayed  for  courage  and  arguments.  I  determined  to 
go  at  once  to  the  room  of  the  irreligious  student  :  on  approachino- 
his  door,  my  fear  returned  and  almost  drove  me  away,  but  summon- 
ing resolution,  I  knocked,  and  entered.  Once,  in  I  would  gladly 
have  been  out  again,  but  suddenly  the  thought  arose,  this  is  but  a 
man,  and  he  has  a  soul  of  unspeakable  value  :  you  have  associated 
with  him  for  nearly  four  years,  and  have  never  introduced  the  sub- 


174  REMAKKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

ject  of  personal  religion  ;  soon  you  are  to  separate,  do  not  lose  this 
opportunity  of  doing  him  good. 

With  a  silent  prayer,  the  object  of  my  visit  was  introduced.     ''  I 

am  come,  Mr.  V ,  to  confess  to  you  my  unfaithfulness,  to  make 

known  to  you  my  interest  in  your  spiritual  welfare,  and  to  urge  you 
to  give  immediate  attention  to  the  concerns  of  the  soul."  Imagine 
my  surprise  when  the  individual  from  whom  I  expected  only  abuse, 
took  me  by  the  hand,  and  with  a  voice  broken  by  deep  emotion, 

exclaimed,  "  Mr.  W ,  I  am  glad  to  see  you.     I  have  been  a 

great  sinner — will  you  pray  for  me  ?"  Both  sobbed  aloud.  What 
had  God  wrought?  "The  stone  was  rolled  away" — "  Saul  was 
among  the  prophets."    That  interview  of  an  hour  was  a  precious  one. 

I  discovered  that  V had  been  serious  for  some  time  ;  in  fact, 

that  he  was  studying  his  Bible  when  I  sought  admittance,  and  had 
been  wishing  that  some  one  of  his  pious  class-mates  would  speak  to 
him  on  religion,  though  his  heart  was  too  proud  to  allow  him  to  seek 

an  interview.     For  the  remainder  of  his  college  life,  V was  a 

changed  man. 

A  happy  Mistake. — The  heart   of  Miss  Y ,  who  was 

afflicted  with  deafness,  had  been  deeply  moved  to  a  sense  of  the 
danger  of  the  unconverted.  Keceiving  a  call  from  a  young  lady,  an 
impenitent  friend  of  hers,  and  acting  according  to  her  quickened 
sense  of  duty  and  her  yearnings  for  the  safety  of  her  friend,  she 
urged  her  to  yield  herself  to  God,  and  accept  the  great  atonement. 

Miss  E listened  politely  for  a  time ;  but  the  subject  was  irksome 

to  her,  and  seeing  a  piano  in  the  room,  she  thought  to  change  the 

conversation  by  saying  abruptly  to  Miss  Y ,  "  Will  you  play  for 

me  ?"     Miss  Y ,  from  her  defective  hearing,  supposed  her  friend 

had  asked  her  to  pray  for  her,  as  Miss  E made  the  request  soon 

after  having  been  asked  to  pray  for  herself.     With  glad  surprise 

Miss  Y knelt  beside  her,  but  had  scarcely  begun  a  prayer  before 

a  conviction  of  her  mistake  flashed  across  her  mind.  Instantly  there 
followed  the  thought,  "  This  is  from  God  f  and  recovering  from  her 
embarrassment,  she  pleaded  for  the  descent  of  the  Spirit  upon  the 
heart  of  her  friend. 

At  the  close  of  her  prayer,  Miss  E seemed  in  much  distress 


AWD   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  175 

of  mind,  and  soon  after  left  the  house.     The  next  morning,  before 

nine  o'clock,  Miss  Y discovered  Miss  E approaching  the 

gate.     It  was  a  bleak,  chilly  morning  early  in  March,  and  the  snow 

was  still  quite  deep.     Miss  E entered  with  a  heart  so  burdened 

with  a  sense  of  sin,  as  not  to  allow  her  to  say  anything  except, 
"  Oh,  I  am  so  unhappy  !"  Then  followed  an  interview  of  the  deep- 
est interest.     Her  distress  continued  two  or  three  days,  and  then  she 

trusted  in  a  forgiving   Saviour.     From  that  hour,  Miss  Y 's 

affliction  has  seemed  to  her  to  possess  more  of  the  brightness  of  a 
blessing,  and  she  rejoices  in  the  dealings  of  that  infinite  wisdom 
which  "  doeth  all  things  well." 

An  aged   Sinner, — Mrs.  F had  started  on  an  errand 

of  mercy,  when  she  met  an  aged  female  groping  her  way.  She  was 
a  wretched-looking  object,  bent  with  age,  and  clothed  with  tattered 

garments.     Mrs.  F had  passed  her,  but  conscience  whispered 

that  she  might  be  losing  an  opportunity  of  doing  good  and  relieving 
suffering,  and  she  retraced  her  steps. 

"  My  friend,"  she  said  to  her  kindly,  "  you  seem  very  aged  and 
infirm."     "If  I  see   the   seventeenth  of  next   month,   I   shall   be 

ninety-two."     ''  That  is  a  great  age,"  said  Mrs.  F .     "  And  is 

your  soul  at  peace  with  God  ?"  ''  Who  asks  about  my  soul  ?"  she 
exclaimed.  ^'  You  are  the  first  person  that  ever  spoke  to  me  about 
it.     I  cannot  see  you  well,  for  I  am  so  blind,  but  go  with  me  anr 

talk."     Mrs.  F determined  not  to  defer  the  opportunity,  and 

accompanied  the  old  woman  to  her  miserable  home.  She  found  her 
the  inmate  of  a  low,  wretched  family,  who  boarded  her  for  the  rent 
of  the  hovel  they  occupied,  which  belonged  to  her  son  in  an  adjacent 
city.  From  the  family  the  old  woman  suffered  the  most  unkind 
treatment.  So  long  had  the  voice  of  kindness  been  a  stranger  to 
her  ear,  that  she  was  deeply  affected  by  it,  and  seemed  not  only 

willing  but  anxious  to  hear,  while  Mrs.  F talked  to  her  of  Jesus, 

and  his  love  for  ruined  man.  She  had  wonderfully  retained  her 
mind  for  one  of  her  years,  and  was  not  so  ignorant  as  she  was  hard- 
ened in  vice,  for  in  childhood  she  had  been  instructed  in  her  Bible, 
and  its  blessed  precepts  were  not  wholly  forgotten.  What  encou- 
ragement to  parents  to  sow  the  seed. 


176  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

Mrs.  F ,  upoQ  inquiry,  learned  much  of  her  history.  A  way- 
ward youth  and  ungovernable  temper,  that  had  driven  husband  and 
children  from  her  ;  a  life  of  infamy  for  twenty-five  years,  followed 
by  wretchedness  and  poverty  ;  discarded  by  the  respectable  friends 
and  family  to  whom  she  belonged,  and  disowned  by  her  son,  she  was 
reapmg  the  bitter  wages  of  sin  when  met  by  our  good  Samaritan 

Mrs,  F ,  whose  first  efforts  were  to  reheve  her  bodily  wants, 

while  she  did  not  neglect  her  still  greater  spiritual  need. 

Daily  did  Mrs.  F visit  the  aged  sinner,  reading  and  praying 

with  her,  though  the  family  who  professed  to  take  care  of  her  often 

insulted  Mrs.  F with  coarse  language,  and  even  interrupted  her 

while  she  knelt  to  pray  ;  but  she  heeded  them  not,  for  she  was 
engaged  about  a  great  work,  under  god,  "  saving  a  soul  from  death." 
Christian  friends,  too,  remonstrated  with  her  upon  expending  so 
much  effort  upon  such  a  hopeless  case,  and  the  impropriety  of  visit- 
ing so  bad  a  character.  She  only  replied,  "  The  more  wicked  she 
is,  the  more  faith  and  effort  she  requires."  Amidst  all  the  discour- 
agements in  her  labor  of  love,  she  persevered,  until  Grod  saw  fit  to 
bless  her  by  sending  the  Holy  Spirit  to  enlighten  her  darkened 
mind,  and  break  the  bondage  of  sin  which  had  so  long  bound  her. 
The  work  seemed  a  gradual  one,  but  not  the  less  sure.  She  was 
permitted  to  live  long  enough  to  manifest  the  wonder-working 
power  of  God. 

A  year  from  the  day  Mrs.  F first  met  her,  she  was  called  to 

stand  by  her  death-bed,  and  hear  her  rejoice  in  the  love  of  Jesus. 
Her  last  words  were,  '*  I  am  a  great,  great  sinner,  but  Jesus  is  a 
great,  great  Saviour  ;  glory  be  to  his  name."  What  a  reward  for 
a  short  year  of  prayer  and  effort  was  this  I  Fellow  Christian,  go 
thou  and  do  likewise  ;  be  not  discouraged.  Eemember,  with  God 
all  things  are  possible." 

Answer  to  United  Prayer.^On  the  20th  of  October, 
It 99,  twenty-four  persons  joined  a  church  in  New  England,  of  whom 
four  youths  were  intimate  friends.  One  of  them  married  a  worthy 
young  man,  and  another  a  virtuous  young  woman,  and  the  other 
two  had  each  a  father — none  of  whom  were  pious  ;  and  they  agreed 
on  a  concert  of  prayer  for  each  other,  and  for  their  relatives. 


AND   REVIVAL   ENCIDENTS.  177 

They  knew  what  they  wanted  ;  it  was  the  life  of  the  soul  for 
which  their  united  and  earnest  cries  continued  to  ascend.  But  it 
was  not  in  a  day,  or  a  week,  or  a  month,  or  a  year,  that  they 
obtained  what  they  greatly  longed  for.  To  cheer  them  when  almost 
ready  to  faint,  a  letter  from  one  of  the  four  announced  to  two  at  a 
distance,  that  his  wife  was  rejoicing  in  hope  of  the  glory  of  God. 
This  news  called  forth  joyful  thanksgivings.  Some  few  years  passed 
on,  and  the  young  man  that  had  been  the  subject  of  these  united 
intercessions,  gave  signs  of  spiritual  life,  which  again  thrilled  their 
hearts  with  holy  gratitude  and  joy. 

But  the  case  of  the  two  aged  fathers  was  more  trying.  Increasing 
hardness  made  faith  stagger  ;  and  often  did  the  fear  arise  that  their 
day  was  past.  About  twelve  years  thus  rolled  on  ;  one  was  more 
than  fifty,  and  the  other  more  than  sixty  years  of  age.  Suddenly, 
at  length  a  friend  wrote  to  the  son  at  a  distance,  that  his  aged 
father  had  apparently  awaked  from  the  long  slumber  of  a  state  of 
sin,  and  given  evidence  of  conversion.  This  was  as  "  life  from  the 
dead  ;"  this  was  a  rebuke  to  unbelief.  More  earnestly  did  the 
friends  ply  the  throne  of  grace  ;  and  what  was  their  joy,  when, 
about  twenty  years  from  the  time  that  the  concert  commenced,  the 
other  aged  father,  more  than  threescore  and  ten,  was  baptized  into 
the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  tiie  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Mission  of  a  Tear.— A  faithful  and  devoted  teacher  had  a 
large  class  of  young  ladies  committed  to  her  care,  in  the  Sabbath- 
school  connected  with  one  of  the  churches  in  the  city  of  Philadel- 
phia. For  a  long  time.  Sabbath  after  Sabbath,  she  earnestly 
labored  with  them,  seeking  to  instill  into  their  minds  the  saving 
truths  of  God's  word.  The  class  were,  for  the  most  part,  respectful] 
and  attentive,  and  evidently  much  attached  to  their  teacher  ;  but 
her  instructions  and  her  earnest  entreaties  seemed  to  make  no  last- 
ing impression  on  their  minds.  They  were  thoughtless,  incon- 
siderate young  people,  in  love  with  the  pleasures  of  the  world,  and 
charmed  with  the  scenes  of  gaiety  by  which  they  were  surrounded. 
As  they  advanced  in  years,  they  manifested  less  interest  in  the  exer- 
cises of  the  class,  and  were  at  times  disposed  to  turn  away  from  the 
warm  and  aflfectionate  pleadings  of  their  faithful  friend  and  teacher. 

8* 


178  EEMAEKABDE   CONVERSIONS 

By  degrees  her  heart  became  discouraged  ;  she  felt  that  her 
labors  were  in  vain,  and  that  perhaps  the  instructions  of  some  other 
person  might  be  more  appreciated  by  the  class,  and  result  in  their 
conversion  to  God.     On  one  occasion,  when  the  class  had  been  more 

inattentive   than   usual   to   the   instruction  imparted,  Miss  S 

resolved  that  at  the  close  of  the  session,  she  would  give  up  her  class- 
book  to  the  superintendent,  and  request  him  to  appoint  another 
teacher  in  her  place.  As  she  came  to  this  conclusion,  sorrow  filled 
her  heart,  and  tears  dimmed  her  eyes  :  it  was  no  small  sacrifice  she 
was  about  to  make  ;  she  loved  her  class,  the  affections  of  her  heart 
were  entwined  around  her  pupils,  and  the  thought  that  these  ties 
must  now  be  sundered,  filled  her  with  distress. 

As  was  her  usual  practice,  she  addressed  a  few  words  to  each  one 
of  the  young  ladies,  before  dismissing  them.  She  had  nearly  gone 
through  the  class,  when,  as  she  was  speaking  to  one  on  the  duty  to 
yield  her  heart  to  God,  and  no  longer  resist  the  invitations  of  the 
gospel,  she  saw,  with  gratitude  and  joy,  the  quivering  lip,  and  a 
tear  glistening  in  the  eye.  The  influence  of  that  tear  was  electri- 
cal; hope  at  once  sprang  up  in  the  heart  of  the  desponding  teacher, 
and  silently  her  heart  was  lifted  to  God  in  prayer,  that  he  would 
deepen  the  impression  which  had  been  made.  The  exercises  closed 
with  a  deeper  seriousness  upon  the  minds  of  all,  than  had  ever  been 
noticed  before;  and  nothing  was  said  about  resigning  the  class. 

When  next  they  came  together,  it  was  evident  that  the  Spirit  of 
God  was  moving  on  the  hearts  of  several  of  the  members  of  that 
class,  and  the  teacher  labored  with  new  zeal,  animated  by  the 
reraeral)rance  of  the  tear  she  had  seen  in  the  eye  of  her  pupil. 

In  a  few  weeks,  she  in  whose  eye  the  pearl-drop  shone,  stood 
before  the  church  to  give  a  reason  of  the  hope  she  cherished  that 
she  was  a  child  of  God.  She  began  her  relation  by  referring  to  the 
i:npressious  made  upon  her  mind  on  that  Sabbath,  when  her  beloved 
teacher  addressed  her  so  tenderly  and  solemnly  on  the  duty  of  serv- 
ing God.  It  proved  to  be  a  "  word  in  season."  Led  by  the  Spirit 
of  God,  she  earnestly  sought  the  pardon  of  her  sins  through  the 
atoning  sacrifice  of  the  Crucified,  and  God,  in  his  rich  mercy,  had 
spoken  peace  to  her  troubled  soul,  and  filled  her  with  joy  unspeak- 
able. 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  179 

The  conversion  of  this  dear  young  lady,  and  her  consecration  to 
God  in  bapticDi,  were  the  means  of  the  awakening  of  many  others, 
and  the  commencement  of  a  gracious  work  in  the  church;  and;  in 
the  course  of  a  few  months,  thirteen  of  that  Bible-class  were  hope- 
fully converted  and  added  to  the  church,  several  of  whom  became 
faithful  and  devoted  Sabbath-school  teachers. 

Converted  by  his  own  Sermon. — Mr.  Thomas  Tregross, 
of  Exeter,  dated  his  conversion,  after  he  had  been  some  time  in  the 
minstry,  and  a  sufferer  for  nonconformity  too  !  And  it  is  a  circum- 
stance which  deserves  remark,  that  he  considered  a  sermon  com- 
posed and  preached  by  himself,  on  Luke  xii.  47,  as  the  means  of  his 
conversion. 

Why  he  Wept. — A  godly  minister  of  the  gospel,  occasionally 
visiting  a  gay  person,  was  introduced  into  a  room  near  to  that 
w^herein  she  dressed.  After  waiting  some  hours,  the  lady  came  in, 
and  found  him  in  tears.  She  inquired  the  reason  of  his  weeping. 
He  replied,  *'  Madam,  I  weep  on  reflecting  that  you  can  spend  so 
many  hours  before  your  glass,  and  in  adorning  your  person,  while  I 
spend  so  few  hours  before  my  God,  in  adorning  my  soul."  The  re- 
buke struck  her  conscience.  She  lived  and  died  a  monument  of 
grace. 

The  Unwelcome  Snow-Storm.— In  February,  of  1820, 
the  writer,  then  living  at  Saratoga  Springs,  a  young  man,  looking 
forward  to  the  ministry,  went  to  Malta,  ten  miles  from  the  Springs, 
to  enjoy  the  further  luxury  of* being  with  his  friend.  Dr.  Nettleton, 
then  engaged  in  a  precious  revival  in  that  region. 

We  spent  a  happy  day  at  the  house  of  Mr.  P ,  who  had  been 

a  UuiversaUst,  but  was  then  a  humble  convert;  and  while  there  I 
was  much  interested  in  the  serious  appearance  and  conversation  of 

Mrs.  C ,  an  intelligent  relative  of  Mr.  P ,  from  Nassau, 

though  she  seemed  not  to  have  deep  convictions  of  sin. 

This  lady  appeared  to  be  anxious  to  converse  with  Dr.  Nettleton, 
upon  the  subject  of  her  salvation.  She  had  heard  him  preach  seve- 
ral times,  but  he  had  not  said  a  word  to  her.    He  evidently  avoided 


180  REMARKABLE   C0NYEESI0N8 

doiog  what  Mrs.  C expected  and  desired  him  to  do.  I  discov- 
ered this,  and  asked  him  why  he  did  not  talk  with  the  lady.  His 
reply  was,  "  0,  she  is  expecting  it  so  much."     That  night  there  was 

to  be  a  prayer-meeting  at  the  house  of  Mr.  P ,  where  many  of 

the  young  converts  and  many  anxious  sinners  were  expected  to 
attend.     A  little  before  night.  Dr.  Nettleton  proposed  to  me  to  ride 

with  him  to  a  Mr.  D 's,  about  a  mile  distant.     After  we  had 

spent  a  short  time  with  Mr.  D and  his  family,  Dr.  Nettleton 

said  to  me,  "  I  shall  not  return  with  you  to  Mr.  P 's  to-night. 

Do  you  go  back  and  condrct  the  meeting  as  well  as  you  can.  I 
give  it  up  to  you.  Go."  It  was  in  vain  that  I  entreated  him  to 
return  and  take  charge  of  the  meeting.  He  positively  declined,  and 
I  left  him  with  a  trembling  heart.  The  people  would  expect  Dr. 
Nettleton  to  be  there,  and  how  great  would  be  their  disappoint- 
ment.    What  should  I  do  ? 

However,  just  at  night,  the  heavens  gathered  blackness,  the  wind 
blew  violently,  and  the  result  was  one  of  the  most  furious  snow- 
storms that  I  ever  witnessed.  Not  a  soul  came  to  the  meeting. 
We  were  all  sadly  disappointed,  though  I  felt  relieved  of  a  great 
responsibility. 

Supper  being  ended,  and  finding  no  one  present  except  the  fami- 
ly, I  conversed  with  Mrs.  C as  to  her  prospects  for  eternity. 

I  soon  found  that  she  was  self-righteous,  trusting  in  her  daily  pray- 
ers, and  her  amiable,  irreproachable  life.  I  endeavored  to  show 
her  that  her  prayers  were  dead,  her  heart  unrenewed,  and  her  pre- 
cious soul  under  the  condemnation  of  God's  holy  law.  The  smile 
which  had  been  playing  upon  her  lips  instantly  passed  away;  she 
raised  and  fixed  her  eyes  upon  me,  and  sat  in  silence.  New 
thoughts  were  passing  in  her  mind.  She  saw  that  she  was  lost. 
She  burst  into  tears,  arose,  and  went  to  her  room,  and  did  not 
rotnirn  for  some  time. 

There  was  sitting  in  the  room.  Miss  J ,  a  daughter  of  Mr. 

P ,  who  had  passed  thus  far  through  the  revival  without  shar- 
ing its  benefits.  I  immediately  turned  to  her,  and  began  to  talk 
with  her  about  her  soul.  She  listened  very  attentively  a  few  min- 
utes, became  agitated,  burst  into  tears,  and  left  the  room.  After  a 
while,  both  of  these  ladies  returned  to  the  sitting-room  bathed  in 


AND   REVIVAL   INCroENTS.  181 

tears,  and  writhing  under  the  deepest  convictions.  I  pointed  them 
to  the  blessed  Redeemer;  we  prayed  with  and  for  them  again  and 
again,  and  in  tliis  way  we  spent  a  great  part  of  the  night — a  night 
never  to  be  forgotten.  At  length  morning  came,  bul  no  light 
dawned  upon  those  benighted  souls.  To  them,  all  seemed  as  dark 
ns  Egypt.  We  prayed  for  them,  and  wept  over  them;  but  God 
alone  could  relieve  them. 

Perhaps  about  eleven  o'clock,  I  said  to  Mrs.  C ,  "  Will  not 

your  heart  yet  yield  to  God  ?''  Putting  her  hand  to  her  breast, 
and  fixing  her  streaming  eyes  upon  me,  she  exclaimed,  "  My  heart 
will  kill  me  " 

Soon  after  this,  the  storm  without  having  passed  away,  I  stepped 

into  a  sleigh,  and  rode  over  to  Mr.  D 's  to  inform  Dr.  Nettleton 

of  what  God  was  doing.  In  relating  the  solemn  transactions  of  the 
night  and  the  morning,  I  mentioned  to  Dr.  Nettleton  the  striking 

expression  of  Mrs.  C ,  "My  heart  will  kill  me>"     Instantly  he 

replied,  "That  woman  is  near  the  kingdom  of  heavi^n.  I  will  go 
back  with  you." 

We  returned,  and,  as  we  entered  the  house,  Mr.«,  C and 

Miss  P both  came  rushing  from  their  room,  with  countenances 

beaming  with  holy,  heavenly  joy.    The  moral  storm  was  over.     All 

was  calm.     Mrs.  C ran  to  Dr.  Nettleton,  seized  b's  hand,  and 

stood  for  some  moments  overwhelmned  with  emotion.  As  she  stood 
weeping  for  joy,  Dr.  Nettleton  asked  her,  "Have  you  submitted 
your  heart  to  God?"  Her  answer  was  spontaneous  aj^d  singular: 
"  0  yes,  sir — but  no  thanks  to  you."  Dr.  Nettleton  was  almost 
convulsed  with  laughter,  which  was  very  unusual  with  him. 

That  afternoon  Mrs.  C ,  while  her  heart  was  almost  bursting 

with  joy,  wrote  a  letter  to  one  of  her  friends  in  Nassau,  which  she 
read  to  me.  That  simple  letter,  giving  an  account  of  her  own  con- 
victions of  sin  and  hopeful  conversion,  was  the  means,  in  God's 
hands,  of  awakening  several  impenitent  sinners. 

When  Mrs  C returned  to  Nassau,  she  found  some  deep  seri 

ousness,  and  immediately  wrote  to  Dr.  Nettleton,  begging  him  to 
repair  to  the  place  as  soon  as  possible.  He  went,  and  the  glorious 
results  are  well  known  to  all  who  are  acquainted  with  the  life  and 
labors  of  that  extraordinary  man. 


182  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

Sent  for  by  the  Spirit. — Dr.  Staunton  was  called  the 
searching  preacher.  Preaching  once  at  Warborough,  near  Oxford, 
a  man  was  so  much  aflected  with  his  first  prayer,  that  he  ran  home, 
and  desired  his  wife  to  get  ready  and  come  to  church,  for  there  was 
one  in  the  pulpit  who  prayed  like  an  angel.  The  woman  hastened 
away,  and  heard  the  sermon  which,  under  the  Divine  blessing,  was 
the  means  of  her  conversion,  and  she  afterwards  proved  an  eminent 
Christian. 

"  Thou  kno-west  not  which  shall  prosper." — Lady 

H once  spoke  to  a  workman  who  was  repairing  a  garden  wall, 

and  pressed  him  to  take  some  thought  concerning  eternity  and  the 
state  of  his  soul.  Some  years  afterwards  she  was  speaking  to  ano- 
ther on  the  same  subject,  and  said  to  him,  "  Thomas,  I  fear  you 
never  pray,  nor  look  to  Christ  for  salvation."  "  Your  ladyship  is 
mistaken,"  answered  the  man  :  "  I  heard  what  passed  between  you 
and  James  at  such  a  time,  and  the  word  you  designed  for  him  took 
effect  on  me."  "  How  did  you  hear  it  ?"  "I  heard  it  on  the  other 
side  of  the  garden,  through  a  hole  in  the  wall,  and  shall  never  for- 
get the  impression  I  received." 

The  Bullet's  Text. — When  Oliver  Cromwell  entered  upon 
the  command  of  the  Parliament's  army  against  Charles  I.,  he  or- 
dered all  the  soldiers  to  carry  a  Bible  in  their  pockets  (the  same 
which  is  now  called  Field's).  Among  the  rest  there  was  a  wild, 
wicked,  young  fellow,  who  ran  away  from  his  apprenticeship  in  Lon- 
don for  the  sake  of  plunder  and  dissipation.  This  fellow  was  obliged 
to  be  in  the  fashion.  Being  one  day  ordered  out  upon  a  skirmish- 
ing party,  or  to  attack  some  fortress,  he  returned  to  his  quarters  in 
the  evening  without  hurt.  When  he  was  going  to  bed,  pulling  the 
Bible  out  of  his  pocket,  he  observed  a  hole  in  it.  His  curiosity  led 
him  to  trace  the  depth  of  this  hole  into  his  Bible  ;  he  found  a  bullet 
was  gone  as  far  as  the  11th  chapter  of  Ecclesiastes,  9th  verse.  He 
read  the  verse.  "  Rejoice,  0  young  man,  in  thy  youth,  and  let  thy 
heart  cheer  thee  in  the  days  of  thy  youth,  and  walk  in  the  ways  of 
thy  heart,  and  in  the  sight  of  thine  eyes  ;  but  know  thou  that  for 
all  these  things  God  will  bring  thee  into  judgment."     The  words 


A2fD   REVIVAL   INCn)ENT8.  J 83 

were  set  home  upon  his  heart  by  the  Divine  Spirit,  so  that  he  be- 
came a  very  serious  and  sound  believer  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  lived  in  London  many  years  after  the  civil  wars  were  over.  He 
used  pleasantly  to  observe,  to  Dr.  Evans,  author  of  the  ''  Christian 
Temper,"  that  the  Bible  was  the  means  of  saving  his  soul  and 
body  too. 

A  very  impressive  Genealogy. — A  certain  libertine,  of 
a  most  abandoned  character,  happened  one  day  to  stroll  into  a 
church,  where  he  heard  the  fifth  chapter  of  Genesis  read  ;  import- 
ing that  so  long  lived  such  and  such  persons,  and  yet  the  conclusion 
was,  "  they  died."  Enos  lived  905  years,  and  he  died.  Seth  912, 
and  he  died.  Methusalem  969,  and  he  died.  The  frequent  repeti- 
tion of  the  words,  he  died,  notwithstanding  the  great  length  of  years 
they  had  lived,  struck  him  so  deeply  with  the  thought  of  death  and 
eternity,  that  through  divine  grace  he  became  a  most  exemplary 
Christian. 

Flavel  on  keeping  the  Heart. — Mr.  Flavel  being  in 
London  in  16t3,  his  old  bookseller,  Mr.  Boulter,  gave  him  the  fol- 
lowing relation,  viz.  :  That  some  time  before,  there  came  into  his 
shop  a  sparkish  gentleman,  to  inquire  for  some  play-books.  Mr. 
Boulter  told  him  he  had  none  ;  but  showed  him  Mr.  Flavel's  little 
treatise  of  "  Keeping  the  Heart,"  entreated  him  to  read  it,  and 
assured  him  it  would  do  him  more  good  than  play-books.  The  gen- 
tleman read  the  title  ;  and,  glancing  upon  several  pages  here  and 
there,  broke  out  into  these  and  such  other  expressions  :  "What  a 
fanatic  was  he  who  made  this  book  1"  Mr.  Boulter  begged  of  him 
to  buy  and  read  it,  and  told  him,  "  he  had  no  cause  to  censure  it  so 
bitterly."  At  last  he  bought  it,  but  told  him  he  would  not  read  it. 
**  What  will  you  do  with  it,  then  ?"  said  Mr.  Boulter.  "  I  will  tear 
and  burn  it,"  said  he,  "  and  send  it  to  the  devil."  Mr.  Boulter  told 
him,  "  then  he  should  not  have  it."  Upon  this  the  gentleman  pro- 
mised to  read  it  ;  and  Mr.  Boulter  told  him,  "  If  he  disliked  it  upon 
reading,  he  would  return  him  his  money."  About  a  month  after, 
the  gentleman  came  to  the  shop  again  in  a  very  modest  habit,  and 
with  a  serious  countenance  addressed  Mr.  Boulter  thus  :    "  Sir,  I 


184:  EEMAKKAELE   C0NVEESI0N8 

most  heartily  ibank  you  for  putting  this  book  into  my  hands — I 
bless  God  that  moved  you  to  do  it  ;  it  hath  saved  my  soul. 
Blessed  be  God  that  ever  I  came  into  your  shop."  And  then  he 
bought  a  hundred  more  of  those  books  of  him,  and  told  him,  "  he 
would  give  them  to  the  poor,  who  could  not  buy  them." 

A  Bold  Personal  Appeal. — A  godly  faithful  minister,  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  having  finished  prayer,  and  looking  around 
upon  the  congregation,  observed  a  young  gentleman  just  shut  into 
one  of  the  pews,  who  discovered  much  uneasiness  in  that  situation, 
and  seemed  to  wish  to  get  out  again.  The  minister  feeling  a  pecu- 
liar desire  to  detain  him,  hit  upon  the  following  singular  expedient. 
Turning  towards  one  of  the  members  of  his  church,  who  sat  in  the 
gallery,  he  asked  him  this  question  aloud  :  "  Brother,  do  you  repent 
of  your  coming  to  Christ  !"  "  No,  sir,"  he  replied,  "  I  never  was 
happy  till  then.  I  only  repent  that  I  did  not  come  to  him  sooner." 
The  minister  then  turned  towards  the  opposite  gallery,  and  ad- 
dressed himself  to  an  aged  member  in  the  same  manner — "  Brother, 
do  you  repent  that  you  came  to  Christ  ?"  "  No,  sir  ;  I  have  known 
the  Lord  from  my  youth  up."  He  then  looked  down  upon  the 
young  man,  whose  attention  was  fully  engaged,  and  fixing  his  eyes 
upon  him,  said,  "  Young  man,  are  you  willing  to  come  to  Christ !" 
This  unexpected  address  from  the  pulpit,  exciting  the  observation 
of  all  the  people,  so  affected  him  that  he  sat  down  and  hid  his  face. 
The  person  who  sat  next  him  encouraged  him  to  rise,  and  answer 
the  question.  The  minister  repeated  it,  "  Young  man,  are  you  will- 
ing to  come  to  Christ  ?"  With  a  tremulous  voice,  he  rephed,  *'  Yes, 
sir."  "  But  when,  sir  ?"  added  the  minister,  in  a  most  solemn  and 
loud  tone  of  voice.  He  mildly  answered,  "  Now,  sir."  "  Then 
stay,"  said  he,  "  and  hear  the  word  of  God,  which  you  will  find  in 
2  Cor.  vi.  2  :  '  Behold  now  is  the  accepted  time,  behold  now  is  the 
day  of  salvation.' "  By  this  sermon  he  was  greatly  affected.  He 
came  into  the  vestry,  after  service,  dissolved  in  tears.  That  unwil- 
lingness to  stay,  which  he  had  discovered,  was  occasioned  by  the 
strict  injunction  of  his  father,  who  threatened  that,  if  ever  he  went 
to  hear  the  fanatics,  he  would  turn  him  out  of  doors.  Having  now 
heard,  and  unable  to  conceal  the  feelings  of  his  mind,  he  was  afraid 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  185 

to  meet  his  father.  The  minister  sat  down  and  wrote  an  affectionate 
letter  to  him,  which  had  so  good  an  effect,  that  both  father  and 
mother  came  to  hear  for  themselves.  They  were  both  brought  to 
the  knowledge  of  the  truth  ;  and  father,  mother  and  son  were  toge- 
ther received  with  universal  joy  into  that  church. 

A  Terrible  Reason  for  it. — A  married  woman  became  an 
exemplary  Christian,  but  her  husband  was  a  lover  of  pleasure  and 
of  sin.  When  spending  an  evening,  as  usual,  with  his  jovial  com- 
panions, at  a  tavern,  the  conversation  happening  to  turn  on  the 
excellences  and  faults  of  their  wives,  the  husband  just  mentioned 
gave  the  highest  encomiums  of  his  wife,  saying  she  was  all  that  was 

excellent,  only  she  was  a  d d  Methodist.     "  Notwithstanding 

which,"  said  he,  "  such  is  her  command  of  her  temper,  that  were  I 
to  take  you  gentlemen  home  with  me  at  midnight,  and  order  her  to 
rise  and  get  you  a  supper,  she  would  be  all  submission  and  cheerful- 
ness." The  company,  looking  upon  this  merely  as  a  brag,  dared 
him  to  make  the  experiment  by  a  considerable  wager.  The  bargain 
was  made,  and  about  midnight  the  company  adjourned,  as  proposed. 
Being  admitted,  "  Where  is  your  mistress  ?"  said  the  husband  to  the 
maid-servant  who  sat  up  for  him.  "  She  is  gone  to  bed,  sir." 
"  Call  her  up,"  said  he.  "  Tell  her  I  have  brought  some  friends 
liorae  with  me,  and  desire  she  would  get  up,  and  prepare  them  a 
supper."  The  good  woman  obeyed  the  unreasonable  summons, 
dressed,  came  down,  and  received  the  company  with  perfect  civiHty; 
told  them  she  happened  to  have  some  chickens  ready  for  the  spit, 
and  that  supper  should  be  got  as  soon  as  possible.  The  supper  was 
accordingly  served  up  ;  when  she  performed  the  honors  of  the  table 
with  as  much  cheerfulness  as  if  she  had  expected  company  at  a  pro- 
per season. 

After  supper,  the  guests  could  not  refrain  from  expressing  their 
astonishment.  One  of  them  particularly,  more  sober  than  the  rest, 
thus  addressed  himself  to  the  lady  :  "  Madam,"  said  he,  "  your 
civility  fills  us  all  with  surprise.  Our  unreasonable  visit  is  in  con- 
sequence of  a  wager,  which  we  have  certainly  lost.  As  you  are  a 
very  religious  person,  and  cannot  approve  of  our  conduct,  give  me 
leave  to  ask,  what  can  possibly  induce  you  to  behave  with  so  much 


186  REMARKABLE  CONVERSIONS 

kiudness  to  us  ?"  "  Sir,"  replied  she,  "  when  I  married,  my  husband 
and  myself  were  both  in  a  carnal  state.  It  has  pleased  God  to  call 
me  out  of  that  dangerous  condition.  My  husband  continues  in  it. 
I  tremble  for  his  future  state.  Were  he  to  die  as  he  is,  he  must  be 
miserable  for  ever  ;  I  think  it  therefore  my  duty  to  render  his 
present  existence  as  comfortable  as  possible." 

This  wise  and  faithful  reply  affected  the  whole  company.  It  left 
an  impression  of  great  use  on  the  husband's  mind.  "  Do  you,  my 
dear,"  said  he,  "  really  think  I  should  be  eternally  miserable  ?  I 
thank  you  for  the  warning.  By  the  grace  of  God,  I  will  change  my 
conduct."  From  that  time  he  became  another  man,  a  serious  Chris- 
tian, and  consequently  a  good  husband. 

Ananda  Rayer's  Conversion. — The  account  of  Ananda 
Rayer's  conversion  is  given  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  John,  the  aged  mission- 
ary at  Tranquebar,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Desgranges.  This  Brahmin 
applied  (as  many  Brahmins  and  Hindoos  constantly  do)  to  an  older 
Brahmin,  of  some  fame  for  sanctity,  to  know  "  what  he  should  do 
that  he  might  be  saved  ?"  The  old  Brahmin  told  him  that  ''  he 
must  repeat  a  certain  prayer  four  lack  of  times — that  is,  four  hundred 
thousand  times.  This  he  performed  in  a  pagoda,  in  six  months,  and 
added  many  painful  ceremonies,  but  finding  no  comfort  or  peace 
from  these  external  rites,  he  went  to  a  Romish  priest  and  asked  him 
if  he  knew  what  was  the  true  religion  ?  The  priest  gave  him  some 
Christian  books  in  the  Telinga  language  ;  and,  after  a  long  investi- 
tion  of  Christianity,  the  inquiring  Hindoo  had  no  doubt  remaining 
on  his  mind,  that  "  Christ  was  the  Saviour  of  the  world."  But  he 
was  not  satisfied  with  the  Romish  worship  in  many  points  ;  he  dis 
liked  the  adoration  of  images  and  other  superstitions  ;  and  having 
heard  from  the  priests  themselves,  that  the  Protestant  Christians  at 
Tanjore  and  Tranquebar  professed  to  have  a  pure  faith,  and  had  got 
the  Bible  translated,  and  worshipped  no  images,  he  visited  Dr.  John, 
and  the  other  missionaries  at  Tranquebar,  where  he  remained  four 
months,  conversing,  says  Dr.  John,  "  almost  every  day  with  me,"  and 
examining  the  Holy  Scriptures.  He  soon  acquired  the  Tamul  lan- 
guage (which  has  an  affinity  with  the  Telinga),  that  he  might  read 
the  Tamul  translation  ;  and  he  finally  became  a  member  of  the  Pro- 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS. 


187 


testant  churcli.  The  missibnaries  at  Yizagapatam  being  in  want  of 
a  learned  Telinga  scholar,  to  assist  them  in  a  translation  of  the 
Scriptures  into  the  Telhiga  language,  Dr.  John  recommended  Auanda 
Rayer  ;  "for  he  was  averse,"  says  he,  "  to  undertake  any  worldly 
employment,  and  had  a  great  desire  to  be  useful  to  his  brethren  of 
the  Telinga  nation." 

God  Opened  his  Sars. — When  the  Rev.  Mr. went  to  his 

living  in  the  country,  a  very  great  audience  collected  from  the  neigh- 
boring towns  and  villages,  in  one  of  which  lived  an  old  inn-keeper, 
who,  having  made  free  with  his  own  tap,  had  well  carbuncled  his  nose 
and  face,  which  bore  visible  marks  of  his  profession.  He  heard  the 
report  of  the  concourse  at  this  church,  as  many  went  from  his  own 
town  ;  but  he  always  stoutly  swore  he  would  never  be  found  among 
the  fools  who  were  running  there  :  on  hearing,  however,  of  the  par- 
ticularly pleasing  mode  of  singing  at  the  church,  his  curiosity  was  a 
little  excited,  and  he  said  he  did  not  know  but  he  might  go  and  hear 
the  singing  ;  but,  with  some  imprecation,  that  he  would  never  hear 
a  word  of  the  sermon. 

He  was  a  corpulent  man,  and,  as  it  was  a  hot  summers  day,  he 
came  in  all  of  a  perspiration,  and  having  with  difficulty  found  admis- 
sion into  a  narrow  open  pew  with  a  lid,  as  soon  as  the  hymn  before 
sermon  was  sung,  which  he  heard  with  great  attention,  he  leaned 
forward,  and  fixing  his  elbows  on  the  lid,  secured  both  ears  against 
the  sermon  with  his  fore-fingers.  He  had  not  been  in  this  position 
many  minutes  before  the  prayer  finished,  and  the  sermon  commenced 
with  an  awful  appeal  to  the  consciences  of  the  hearers,  of  the  neces- 
sity of  attending  to  the  things  which  were  made  for  their  everlastuig 
peace  ;  and  the  minister  addressing  them  solemnly,  "  He  that  hath 
ears  to  hear  let  him  hear."  Just  the  moment  before  these  words 
were  pronounced,  a  fly  had  fastened  on  the  carbuncled  nose  of  the 
inn-keeper,  and,  stinging  him  sharply,  he  drew  one  of  his  fingers 
from  his  ear,  and  struck  off  the  painful  visitant  :  at  that  very  mo- 
ment, the  words  "  He  that  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear,"  pro- 
nounced with  great  solemnity,  entered  the  ear  that  was  opened  as  a 
clap  of  thunder  ;  it  struck  him  with  irresistible  force  :  he  kept  his 
hand  from  returning  to  liis  ear,  and,  feeling  an  impression  he  had 


188  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

never  known  before,  lie  presently  withdrew  the  other  finger,  and 
hearkened  with  deep  attention  to  the  discourse  which  followed. 

That  day  was  the  beginning  of  days  to  him  ;  a  change  was  pro- 
duced upon  him,  which  could  not  but  be  noticed  by  all  his  former 
companions.  He  never  from  that  day  returned  to  any  of  his  former 
practices,  nor  ever  afterwards  was  he  seen  in  liquor  or  heard  to 
swear.  He  became  truly  serious,  and  for  many  years  went,  in  all 
weathers,  six  miles  to  the  church  where  he  first  received  the  know- 
ledge of  Divine  things.  After  about  eighteen  years'  faithful  and 
close  walk  with  God,  he  died  rejoicing  in  the  hope  of  that  glory  he 
now  enjoys. 

A  Sermon  in  a  Leaf. — In  the  village  of  H ,  a  laborious 

pastor  was  standing  in  his  place  on  a  beautiful  Sabbath  of  October, 
and  with  aching  heart  was  delivering  his  message  to  a  people  that 
seemed  indifferent  to  all  his  utterances.  Behind  the  pulpit  was  a 
window,  through  which  could  be  seen  a  tree  whose  foliage  had  been 
changed  by  autumnal  frost.  A  young  man  in  a  remote  pew,  while 
gazing  listlessly  in  the  direction  of  the  pulpit,  saw  a  leaf  separate 
from  a  twig  of  the  tree,  and  with  slow  vibrations  descend  to  the 
ground.  Instantly,  he  said,  as  if  the  leaf  had  a  tongue  and  spoke 
to  him,  the  reflection  arose,  "  I  am  like  that  leaf.  My  hold  on  life  is 
just  so  slender.  I  may  soon  be  detached  and  fall  like  that  sere  leaf. 
Then  where  shall  I  be  ?"  One  consideration  started  another,  and 
thouii^lit  piled  on  thought,  until  his  mind  was  stirred  to  its  lowest 
depths,  and  he  was  in  an  agony  of  solicitude  respecting  his  prospects 
for  eternity.  God's  still  small  voice  in  the  leaf  spoke  louder  to  him 
than  thunder. 

The  Thoughtless  Swearer. — As  Mr.  Romaine  was  one 
day  walking  in  the  street  with  another  gentleman,  he  heard  a  poor 
man  call  upon  God  to  damn  him.  Mr.  R,  stopped,  took  out  half  a 
crown,  and,  presenting  it,  said,  "  My  friend,  I  will  give  you  this  if 
you  will  do  that  again."  The  man  started  :  "  What  I  sir,"  said  he, 
"  do  you  think  I  would  damn  my  soul  for  half  a  crown  ?"  Mr.  R. 
answered,  "  As  you  did  it  just  now  for  nothing,  I  could  not  suppose 
you  would  refuse  to  do  it  for  a  reward  I"  The  poor  creature, 
struck  with  his  reproof,  as  Mr.  R.  intended  he  should  be,  replied, 


AND  REVIVAL  INCIDENTS.  189 

"  God  bless  and  reward  you,  sir,  whoever  you  are.     I  believe  yon 
have  saved  my  soul  ;  I  hope  I  shall  never  swear  again  while  I . 
live." 

When  ye  Stand  Praying,  Forgive. — 1.  During  a  pro- 
tracted meeting  held  in  G ,  a  pleasant  summer  retreat,  in  one 

of  our  Southern  States,  an  address  was  made  to  those  who  were 
professedly  the  people  of  God.  Amongst  other  things,  they  were 
exhorted  to  cherish  a  spirit  of  brotherly  love,  and  if  they  had  had 
any  quarrel  with  another,  to  forgive.  They  were  affectionately 
urged  to  pass  an  act  of  forgiveness  without  delay,  and  to  seize  the 
very  first  opportunity  to  extend  the  hand,  and  to  do  it  cordially. 
In  about  twenty  minutes  after,  while  the  services  were  yet  going  on, 
an  elderly  lady  rose  up,  passed  by  me,  and  gave  her  hand  to  another 
lady.  I  certainly  did  not  expect  the  exhortation  to  operate  so  soon, 
or  at  least  in  this  way,  but  verily  I  was  not  displeased — no  one  was 
displeased.  On  the  contrary,  a  wave  of  delicious  feeling  passed 
over  the  whole  assembly.  Many  eyes  were  filled  with  tears,  and 
methinks  in  that  moment  the  God  of  love  looked  propitious  down. 
Mark  the  sequel  I  The  lady  at  that  time  had  two  sons  and  a 
daughter,  all  grown,  and  all  yet  unconverted.  Before  the  pro- 
tracted meeting  closed,  she  had  the  unspeakable  satisfaction  of  see- 
ing all  three  rejoicing  in  the  hope  of  glory  !  What  is  this  but  the 
broad  seal  of  heaven's  approbation?  "Beloved,"  says  John,  "  let 
us  love  one  another,  for  love  is  of  God,  and  every  one  that  loveth 
is  born  of  God,  and  knoweth  God.  He  that  loveth  not,  knoweth 
not  God,  for  God  is  love." 

2.  I  recollect  another  case  which  occurred  in  Virginia.  Whilst 
addressing  professors  of  religion,  I,  as  my  custom  was,  urged  the 
great  duty  of  forgiveness,  and  in  order  to  give  greater  effect  to  my 
exhortations,  I  stated  the  case  already  mentioned,  as  one  pleasing 
to  God  and  worthy  of  all  commendation,  and  then  made  a  remark 
of  this  kind  :  "  If  there  are  any  present  in  similar  circumstances,  let 
them  go  and  do  likewise."  Whilst  I  was  yet  speaking,  an  elder  of 
the  church  reached  out  his  hand  over  the  benches  to  one  who  sat  at 
some  distance,  and  with  much  feeling  said,  *'  Neighbor,  here  is  my 
hand."    Another  elder  also  arose,  a  man  of  silvery  locks,  and  hurry 


190  REMAEKABLE  CONVERSIONS 

ing  to  another  part  of  the  house,  gave  his  hand  to  an  individual, 
who  grasped  it,  and  said  aloud,  "  This  is  the  very  thing  I  have  long 
wished  for."  Need  I  say  that  a  revival  followed  1  Of  a  truth  we 
had  blessed  times. 

Ask  and  ye  shall  Receive. — In  a  certain  town  in  Georgia, 
lived  Mrs.  M ,  a  pious  widow  lady.  She  had  two  sons  in  a  dis- 
tant State,  whom  she  had  not  seen  for  many  years.  They  were 
thoughtless  young  men,'  and  avowedly  infidel  in  their  sentiments. 
She  received  a  letter  from  her  sons  promising  an  early  visit.  The 
young  men  came  ;  remained  several  days,  and  then  said  they  must 
return.  They  fixed  on  Friday  night,  when  they  must  go  without 
fail,  in  the  stage.  Having  ascertained  that  the  stage  would  not  go 
until  nine  or  ten  o'clock,  she  entreated  her  sons  to  go  to  church, 
and  there  remain  until  the  sounding  of  the  stage  horn  should  summon 
them  away.  "  Come,  my  sons,  go  with  me  to  church  this  evening, 
and  hear  what  you  can."  They  yielded.  They  went  ;  and  that 
night  God  answered  the  mother's  prayers.  Both  were  brought 
under  powerful  conviction.  Near  the  closing  of  the  services  of  the 
sanctuary,  the  sounding  of  the  stage  horn  was  heard.  According 
to  arrangement  they  hurried  away  to  the  office — but,  behold  I  the 
stage  was  full !  They  were  obliged  to  remain  until  Monday  follow- 
ing. On  the  Sabbath  we  had  a  most  solemn  time.  When  the  anx- 
ious were  invited  to  come  forward,  or  kneel  at  their  seat,  if  they 
desired  the  prayers  of  God's  people,  (according  to  the  custom  of 
that  place,)  several  immediately  knelt  at  their  seats.  Two  young 
men  came  forward  and  kneeled  near  the  desk — and  only  two.  I  saw 
an  elderly  lady  at  some  distance,  rise,  and  leaning  forward,  she  fast- 
ened her  tearful  eyes  upon  them.  It  was  the  mother,  and  these  young 
men  were  her  sons  I  Many  eyes  were  fixed  upon  her,  but  nobody 
said.  Madam,  sit  down. — No  I  It  was  a  sacred  sight.  That  day 
both  of  these  young  men  obtained  a  joyful  hope.  Verily,  it  would 
have  touched  a  heart  of  rock  to  have  seen  the  sons,  both  of  them 
throwing  their  arms  around  the  neck  of  their  beloved  mother — now 
a  thousand  times  dearer  than  ever — and  telling  her  that  the  Lord 
had  heard  her  prayers,  and  blessed  them,  as  they  hoped,  with  his 
forgiving  love  ! 


A^TD  REVIVAL  INCIDENTS.  191 

I  saw  the  happy  mother.  She  grasped  my  hand.  She  wept  tears 
of  joy.  For  a  few  moments  she  was  silent.  When  she  spoke 
she  blessed  God,  and  said,  in  the  very  words  of  Mary,  "  My  soul 
doth  magnify  the  Lord,  and  my  spirit  hath  rejoiced  in  God  my 
Saviour,  for  he  hath  regarded  the  low  estate  of  his  handmaiden." 

The  effectual  Prayer. — ^Whilst  a  meeting  of  much  interest 

was  going  on  in  a  certain  country  town  in  Virginia,  Mr.  K ,  a 

pious  young  man,  selected  a  young  lawyer  who  was  a  noted  scorner, 
and  made  him  the  subject  of  special  prayer.  About  two  days  after- 
wards the  young  lawyer  came  to  the  house  where  the  pastor  was. 
I  myself  was  in  the  same  house  at  the  time,  but  being  particularly 
engaged,  I  requested  the  pastor  to  speak  to  him.  "  0,"  says  he, 
"he  is  not  serious."  Yes  I  replied,  he  must  be,  or  he  would  not 
come  here.  "  I  know  him  better  than  you  do,"  said  the  pastor,  "  he 
is  a  scorner.  There  is  no  hope  of  him."  The  young  lawyer  was 
permitted  to  depart,  I  believe,  without  a  single  religious  remark 
having  been  made  to  him.  My  conjectures  were  true.  He  was 
then  under  awakening  influences. 

Perhaps  two  weeks  after  that,  this  young  lawyer,  now  rejoicing  in 
Christ,  was  riding  along  the  road  on  his  way  to  a  protracted  meet- 
ing, about  to  be  held  in  an  adjacent  county.     Before  he  reached  the 

place,  he  fell  in  with  another  young  man,  Mr.  P. ,  going  to  the 

same  meeting.  Eeligious  conversation  was  introduced,  and  the 
awakened  lawyer  spoke  freely  of  the  change  of  views  and  feelings 
which  he  had  experienced,  and  ascribed  them,  under  God,  to  the 
prayers  of  his  friend,  Mr.  K ,  who  had  selected  him  as  the  sub- 
ject of  special  prayer.     ''Ah  I"  said  Mr.  P ,  "  I  had  friends  once 

who  used  to  pray  for  me  ;  but  I  have  been  so  careless,  so  wicked, 
they  do  not  think  it  worth  while  to  pray  for  me  now.  They  have 
all  given  me  up.  There  is  not  an  individual  I  suppose  on  earth  who 
remembers  me  in   prayer."     "  0  yes,"  replied  the  young  lawyer, 

''there  is  one,  I  know."     "Who  is  it?"  quickly  asked  Mr.  P , 

"  The  very  same  who  prayed  for  me  has  made  you  the  subject  of 

special  prayer."     "Is  it  possible  I"  said  Mr.  P ,  and  throwing 

himself  back,  he  had  well-nigh  fallen  from  the  horse  upon  which  he 
was  riding.     From  that  moment  he  waked  up  to  the  claims  of  his 


192  REMARKABLE  CGNVERSIONS   - 

undying  soul.  A  few  days  after,  with  great  joy,  he  was  telling  to 
those  around  what  a  dear  Saviour  he  had  found.  Blessed  be  God, 
the  effectual  fervent  prayer  of  a  righteous  man  availeth  much. 
Take  another  case. 

Where  Sin  abounded,  Grace  did  much  more 
abound. — Some  time  ago,  a  meeting  of  several  days'  continu- 
ance was  held  in  G ,  South  Carolina.     Awakening  influences 

went  abroad  upon  the  people  almost  from  its  very  commencement. 
To  increase  the  solemnity,  the  providence  of  God  concurred  with  the 
preaching  of  the  word.  A  young  lawyer  was  cut  down  in  the  midst 
of  his  years  !  All  classes  of  persons  now  seemed  to  be  aroused  to 
a  concern  for  their  undying  souls.  There  was  one  young  man,  how- 
ever, the  only  son  of  his  mother,  and  she  a  widow,  who  took  his 
stand  openly  on  the  side  of  opposition.  He  was  an  avowed  in- 
fidel. He  threatened  to  lay  the  hand  of  violence  upon  the  minis- 
ters, and  once  made  this  remark  :  "  When  I  die,  I  will  go  to  hell, 
and  make  a  row  there,  and  drive  the  Almighty  from  his  throne  I" 
That  evening  he  went  to  church,  and,  as  usual,  endeavored  to  make 
sport  of  what  was  said  from  the  pulpit.  It  pleased  God,  however, 
to  send  a  word  like  an  arrow  to  his  heart.  His  sins  flashed  upon 
his  view.  He  literally  trembled  upon  his  seat,  and  after  the  bene- 
diction was  pronounced  he  came  up  to  me,  grasped  my  hand,  and 
with  great  anxiety  asked  what  he  must  do  to  be  saved  ?  It  was  but 
another  case  of  the  Philippian  jailer,  and  I  could  do  no  better  than 
reply  in  the  words  of  the  apostle,  "  Believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  thou  shalt  be  saved."  Two  days  after  this  I  saw  him,  all  joy 
and  peace  in  believing.  0,  it  would  have  done  any  one  good  to 
have  seen  his  dear  mother  throwing  her  arms  around  him,  and  say- 
ing, in  the  joy  of  her  heart,  "  This  my  son  was  dead  and  is  alive 
again,  was  lost  and  is  found  !"  Subsequently  this  young  man  went 
to  the  North,  to  prepare  to  preach  **  the  glorious  gospel  of  the 
blessed  God." 

The  Irresistible  Spirit. — A  few  weeks  after  the  meeting 

just  mentioned,  one  of  a  similar  kind  was  held  at ,  about  fifty 

miles  distant.    The  first  sermon  was  preached  on  Tuesday  night,  and 


AND   REVIVAL   mCIDENTS.  193 

by  Thursday  afternoon  the  waters  were  troubled,  and  a  goodly  num- 
ber had  stepped  into  the  pool.  There  was  one  man,  however,  who 
had  no  good  opinion  of  such  *' carryings  on''^  He  was  a  very  irreli- 
gious man,  and  although  he  heard  perhaps  every  sermon,  he  liked 
none  of  them,  but  generally  returned  from  church  in  a  rage.  On 
Thursday  evening  1  was  invited  to  take  tea  at  the  house  where  he 
lodged.  When  he  heard  it  he  was  angry.  When  he  saw  me  com- 
ing, he,  as  I  have  been  told,  swore  terribly.  On  entering  the  house 
I  was  introduced  by  a  friend,  who  immediately  retired.  Left  alone 
with  this  man,  I  confess  I  felt  very  awkwardly  fixed,  and  scarcely 
knowing  what  to  say,  I  made  a  remark  of  this  kind  :  "  Well,  sir,  I 
think  we  have  had  a  very  interesting  meeting  this  afternoon."  Im- 
mediately he  burst  into  tears,  crying  aloud,  "  Mercy  I  mercy  I  Lord 
have  mercy  upon  me  !"  "  Shall  I  pray  for  you,  my  dear  sir  ?" 
said  I.  "  Most  willingly,  most  willingly,"  replied  he.  When  I 
finished  praying,  he  seemed  so  bowed  down  he  could  scarcely  rise 
from  his  knees.  That  night  there  was  no  rest  for  him.  The  next 
day  he  was  found  amongst  the  anxious — a  few  days  after,  amongst 
the  people  of  God  !  and  is  now,  it  seems,  a  valuable  member  of  the 
church. 

An  Apostate  Minister  Converted  in  his  Bed. — The 

case  of  Dr.  B.,  brought  in  at. the  eleventh  hour,  is  remarkable. 

Licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  ,  in  the  year  1793,  he  preached 

a  few  sermons  (he  entered  the  ministry  purely,  it  seems,  to  please 
his  parents),  then  abandoned  the  ministry,  and  became  a  deist.  In 
the  year  1797  he  declared  himself  an  atheist.  From  that  period, 
and  for  many  a  long  year  afterwards,  even  until  his  locks  became 
hoary  with  age,  he  waged  open  war  with  the  God  of  the  Bible.    At 

a  protracted  meeting  held  at  M ,  Dr.  B.  was  present.     He  was 

awakened — was  brought  under  deep  and  pungent  conviction.  At 
prayer-meeting  he  requested  permission  to  make  a  remark.  He 
arose,  with  much  emotion,  and  said,  *'  My  friends,  I  have  been  a 
most  flagitious  sinner."  He  went  on  in  this  strain  for  about  ten 
minutes,  and  then  sat  down  in  great  distress  of  mind.  It  was  a 
most  affecting  sight.  That  day  he  was  brought  to  the  very  borders 
of  despair.     "  There  is  no  hope,"  said  he  ;  "  Saul  of  Tarsus  cannot 

9 


194:  BEMAEKABLE   COUTEESIOHS 

be  compared  with  D^e — I  must  be  damued  !"  "  0  uo,"  said  I,  "  the 
blessed  Jesus  is  both  able  and  willing  to  save  you."  "  No,  sir/' 
replied  he,  with  great  emotion,  "  there  is  no  possibiUty  of  mj  salva- 
tion— I  must  be  damned."  About  ten  o'clock  he  was  conducted  into 
his  chamber.  I  slept  in  the  same  room  ;  but  there  was  no  sleep  for 
Dr.  B.  He  felt  that  he  was  a  lost  sinner.  Tossing  himself  about  in 
the  bed,  he  sighed,  and  groaned,  and  wept.  All  was  dark  and 
cheerless  to  his  soul  until  about  one  o'clock,  when  he  spoke  aloud, 
and  calling  me  by  name,  said,  "  Mr.  B.,  are  you  awake  ?"  When 
informed — "  0,  sir,"  exclaimed  he,  "I  feel  a  change  I  I  can  accept 
of  the  Saviour  now  I  If  Jesus  Christ  does  not  save  me,  I  am 
damned  for  ever  !  I  am  happy  I  I  am  happy  !  I  would  not  part 
with  my  present  feelings  for  ten  thousand  worlds."  "  Well,"  said  I, 
"  Dr.  B.,  I  suppose  you  can  say,  *  0  to  grace,  how  great  a  debtor.' " 
Clapping  his  hands  together,  he  exclaimed,  with  great  emphasis, 
"  The  very  thing,  sir,  the  very  thing  !"  As  he  said  this,  he  arose 
and  began  to  dress  himself.  No  sun  had  yet  lighted  up  the  eastern 
horizon,  but  what  was  better  still,  the  Star  of  Hope  had  risen  upon 
his  soul  I 

"  Brightest  star  that  ever  rose, 
Sweetest  star  that  ever  shone  !" 

The  next  day,  in  the  presence  of  the  great  congregation,  he  pre- 
sented himself  as  a  miracle  of  grace,  and  told  what  the  Lord  had 
done  for  his  soul.  I  suspect,  that  moment  angels  in  heaven  struck 
a  note  loud  and  long,  rich  and  sweet.  Some  ten  years  after  this,  I 
mentioned  this  case  to  a  certain  lady  in  conversation.  "  0,  sir," 
said  she,  "  Dr.  B.  is  my  brother-in-law."  "  Indeed  !"  said  I.  "  Well, 
is  he  still  alive  ?"  "  Yes,"  said  she,  "  he  is  still  alive."  "  And, 
madam,"  continued  I,  "  how  does  he  hold  on  ?"  "  0,  very  well,' 
said  she,  "very  well  ;  he  is  a  member  of  the  church,  and  a  useful 
member,  too."  Surely,  grace  is  triumphant,  and  reigns  like  a  con- 
queror. 

The  Soldier's  Mother. — Some  few  years  since,  when  i; 
Texas,  I  unexpectedly  lighted  upon  a  military  post.  The  soldiers, 
BO  far  as  their  spiritual  interests  were  concerned,  had  been  sadly 


A.ND   KEVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  195 

neglected.  No  one  had  preached  to  them,  nor  had  any  one,  it  seems, 
given  them  a  single  Bible  or  tract — no  man  cared  for  their  souls. 
Having  obtained  permission  of  the  commander,  I  preached  several 
times  to  them.  On  one  occasion,  in  the  midst  of  my  discourse,  I 
observed — "  Soldiers  !  most  of  you,  I  suppose,  are  from  the  United 
States,  and  are  perhaps  entirely  regardless  of  the  interests  of  your 
souls  ;  but  I  wonder  if  some  of  you  have  not  pious  mothers  at  home, 
who  have  loved  you,  and  prayed  for  you,  aye,  and  have  wept  on 
your  account."  Having  made  these,  or  very  similar  remarks,  I  cast 
my  eyes  rapidly  over  the  faces  of  those  before  me,  and  observed  one 
who  was  exceedingly  wrought  upon.  Every  muscle  of  his  face 
seemed  to  be  moved,  and  the  tears  began  to  trickle  down  his  cheeks. 
Then  addressing  him  particularly — ''  Soldier  !"  said  I,  "  come  here, 
1  w^ant  to  talk  with  you."  Sure  enough,  he  immediately  followed 
me,  and  w^hen  we  had  gone  a  little  way  off,  "  Tell  me,"  said  I,  "  have 
not  you  a  pious  mother  ?"  Bursting  into  a  flood  of  tears,  "  Yes, 
sir,"  said  he,  "  I  have  a  very  pious  mother,  a  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist Church  in  Pennsylvania."  Here  he  wept  aloud  ;  so  loud  that 
he  might  have  been  heard  a  very  considerable  distance.  After  point- 
ing out  the  way  of  salvation  to  him,  through  a  crucified  Saviour,  as 
clearly  as  I  could,  T  left  him.  Some  two  or  three  days  after  I  called 
again,  and  found  him  rejoicing  in  the  hope  of  glory.  He  had  found 
bis  mother's  Saviour  and  his  mother's  God  !  Heaven  bless  mothers, 
j)ious  mothers,  all  the  world  over  !  and  let  all  the  angels  of  God  say 
Amen.     Thank  God,  I  too  had  a  pious  mother. 

Forgiveness  Received. — Mr.  Tunis,  a  great  Scotch  minister, 
once  visited  an  infidel  who  was  dying.  When  he  came  to  him  the 
first  time,  he  said,  "  Mr.  Innis,  I  am  relying  on  the  mercy  of  God  ; 
God  is  merciful,  and  he  will  never  damn  a  man  forever."  When  he 
got  worse  and  was  nearer  death,  Mr.  Innis  went  to  him  again,  and 
he  said,  "  0  !  Mr.  Innis,  my  hope  is  gone  ;  for  I  have  been  thinking, 
if  God  be  merciful,  God  is  just  too  ;  and  what  if,  instead  of  being 
merciful  to  me,  he  should  be  just  to  me  ?  What  would  then  become 
of  me  ?  I  must  give  up  my  hope  in  the  mere  mercy  of  God  ;  tell 
me  how  to  be  saved  !"  Mr.  Innis  told  him  that  Christ  had  died  in 
the  stead  of  all  believers  ;  that  God  could  be  just,  and  yet  the  jus- 


196  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

tifier  through  the  death  of  Christ.  "  Ah  !"  said  he,  "  Mr.  Innis, 
there  is  something  solid  in  that  ;  I  can  rest  on  that ;  I  cannot  rest 
on  anything  else  ;"  and  it  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  none  of  us  ever 
met  with  a  man  who  thought  he  had  his  sins  forgiven  unless  it  was 
through  the  blood  of  Christ.  Meet  a  Mussulman  ;  he  never  had  his 
sins  forgiven  ;  he  does  not  say  so.  Meet  an  infidel  ;  ho  never  knows 
that  his  sins  are  forgiven.  Meet  a  legalist  ;  he  says,  "  I  hope  they 
will  be  forgiven  ;"  but  he  does  not  pretend  they  are.  No  one  ever 
gets  even  a  fancied  hope  apart  from  this,  that  Christ,  and  Christ 
alone,  must  save  by  the  shedding  of  his  blood. 

"A  Lost  Man." — Mr.  Whitefield  had  a  brother,  who  had  been 
a  professor  of  religion,  but  he  had  backslidden  ;  he  went  far  from 
the  ways  of  godliness  ;  and  one  afternoon,  after  he  had  been  reco- 
vered from  his  backsliding,  he  was  sitting  in  a  room  in  a  chapel- 
house.  He  had  heard  his  brother  preach  the  day  before,  and  his 
poor  conscience  had  been  cut  to  the  very  quick.  Said  Whitefield's 
brother,  when  he  was  at  tea,  "  I  am  a  lost  man,"  and  he  groaned 
and  cried,  and  could  neither  eat  nor  drink.  Said  Lady  Huntingdon, 
who  sat  opposite,  "  What  did  you  say  Mr.  Whitefield  ?"  "  Madam," 
said  he,  "  I  said  I  am  a  lost  man."  "  I'm  glad  of  it,"  said  she  ; 
"  I'm  glad  of  it."  "  Your  ladyship,  how  can  you  say  so  ?"  "  I 
repeat  it,  sir,"  said  she  ;  "  I  am  heartily  glad  of  it."  He  looked  at 
her,  more  and  more  astonished."  "I  am  glad  of  it,"  said  she,  "  be- 
cause it  is  written,  '  The  Son  of  man  came  to  seek  and  to  save  that 
which  was  lost.' "  With  the  tears  rolling  down  his  cheeks,  he  said, 
."  What  a  precious  Scripture  ;  and  how  is  it  that  it  comes  with  such 
force  to  me  ?  0  !  madam,"  said  he,  "  madam,  I  bless  God  for  that ; 
then  he  will  save  me  ;  I  trust  my  soul  in  his  hands  ;  he  has  forgiven 
me."  He  went  outside  the  house,  felt  ill,  fell  npon  the  ground,  and 
no  long  time  after  expired. 

Outcast  Converted. — Mr.  Spurgeon  tells  a  story  of  what 
once  happened  to  Mr.  Yanderkist,  a  city  missionary  in  London. 
There  had  been  a  drunken  broil  in  the  street  ;  he  stepped  between 
the  men  to  part  them,  and  said  something  to  a  woman  who  stood 
there  concerning  how  dreadful  a  thing  it  was  that  men  should  thus 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  '  197 

be  intemperate.  She  walked  with  him  a  little  way,  and  he  with  her, 
and  she  began  to  tell  him  such  a  tale  of  woe  and  sin  too,  how  she 
had  been  lared  away  from  her  parents'  home  in  Somersetshire,  and 
had  been  brought  up  here  to  her  soul's  eternal  hurt.  He  took 
her  home  with  him,  and  taught  her  the  fear  and  love  of  Christ  ;  and 
when  she  returned  to  the  paths  of  godliness,  and  found  Christ  to  be 
the  sinner's  Saviour,  she  said,  "  Now  I  must  go  home  to  ray  friends.'^ 
Her  friends  were  written  to  ;  they  came  to  meet  her  at  the  station 
at  Bristol,  and  you  can  hardly  conceive  what  a  happy  meeting  it 
was.  The  father  and  mother  had  lost  their  daughter  ;  they  had 
never  heard  from  her  ;  and  there  she  was,  brought  back  and  re- 
stored to  the  bosom  of  her  family. 

The  Last  Chance — "  Here  goes  !"— Says  a  late  writer, 
when  appealing  to  sinners  :  "  On  a  part  of  the  British  coast,  where 
beetling  cliffs,  from  three  to  five  hundred  feet  in  height,  overhang 
the  ocean,  some  individuals  during  a  certain  season  of  the  year, 
obtain  a  solitary  livelihood  by  collecting  the  eggs  of  rock-birds,  and 
gathering  samphire.  The  way  in  which  they  pursue  this  hazardous 
calling,  is  as  follows  :  The  man  drives  an  iron  crow-bar  securely  into 
the  ground,  about  a  yard  from  the  edge  of  the  precipice.  To  that 
crow-bar  he  makes  fast  a  rope,  of  which  he  then  lays  hold.  He  next 
slides  gently  over  the  cliff,  and  lowers  himself  till  he  reaches  the 
ledges  and  crags,  where  he  expects  to  find  the  object  of  his  pursuit. 
To  gain  these  places  is  sometimes  a  difficult  task  ;  and  when  they 
fall  within  the  perpendicular,  the  only  method  of  accomplishing  it  is 
for  the  adventurer  to  swing  in  the  air,  till,  by  dexterous  manage- 
ment, he  can  so  balance  himself  as  to  reach  the  spot  on  which  he 
wishes  to  descend.  A  basket,  made  for  the  purpose,  and  strapped 
between  the  shoulders,  contains  the  fruit  of  his  labor  ;  and  when  he 
has  filled  the  basket,  or  failed  in  the  attempt,  he  ascends,  hand  over 
hand,  to  the  summit.  On  one  occasion,  a  man  who  was  thus 
employed,  in  gaining  a  narrow  ledge  of  rock,  which  was  overhung 
by  a  higher  portion  of  the  cliff,  secured  his  footing,  but  let  go  the 
rope.  He  at  once  peroeived  his  peril.  No  one  could  come  to 
his  rescue,  or  even  hear  lis  cries.  The  fearful  alternative  imme- 
diately flashed  on  his  mind  :  it  was,  being  starved  to  death,  or 


198  REMARKABLE  CONVERSIONS 

dashed  to  pieces  four  hundred  feet  below  !  On  turning  round, 
he  saw  the  rope  he  had  quitted,  but  it  was  far  away.  As  it  swung 
backwards  and  forwards,  its  long  vibrations  testified  the  mighty 
efforts  by  which  he  had  reached  the  deplorable  predicament  in  which 
he  stood.  He  looked  at  the  rope  in  agony.  He  had  gazed  but  a 
little  while,  when  he  noticed  that  every  movement  was  shorter  than 
the  one  preceding,  so  that  each  time  it  came  the  nearest,  as  it 
was  gradually  subsiding  to  a  point  of  rest,  it  was  a  little  further  off 
than  it  had  been  the  time  before.  He  briefly  reasoned  thus  :  '  That 
rope  is  my  only  chance  of  life  ;  in  a  little  while  it  will  be  forever 
beyond  my  reach  ;  it  is  nearer  now  than  it  ever  will  be  again  ;  I 
can  but  die  ;  here  goes  !'  So  saying,  he  sprang  from  the  cliff, 
as  the  rope  was  next  approaching,  caught  it  in  his  grasp,  and  went 
home  rejoicing."  Sinner,  you  tremble  at  this  incident ;  believe  me, 
yours  is  greater  peril  !  Beneath  you  yawns  the  lake,  that  burneth 
with  fire  and  brimstone  ;  stand  where  you  are  you  cannot ;  time  will 
force  you  thence.  Salvation  is  set  before  you  ;  it  is  as  near,  per- 
haps nearer  now,  than  ever  it  will  be  again  ;  lay  hold  of  it ;  cling 
to  it  with  the  firmness  of  a  death  grasp.  This  is  your  only  chance 
of  safety;  and  it  is  not  a  chance  alone  ;  it  is  a  certainty — a  glorious 
certainty  ;  and  the  only  danger  is,  that,  refusing  to  embrace  it,  you 
will  defer  escape  until  it  becomes  impossible.  Then,  make  t^at 
plunge  at  once  ;  beneath  you  are  the  everlasting  arms  ;  believe,  and 
feel  his  purifying  power. 

Refusing  a  Revival. — A.  minister  of  my  acquaintance,  says 
the  Rev.  James  Caughey,  visited  an  American  town  some  years  ago. 
He  had  only  preached  a  few  sermons,  when  many  sinners  were 
awakened,  and  about  twenty  found  salvation.  But  a  few  persons 
of  importance  were  of  opinion  that  the  ordinary  services  were 
sufficient,  and  discouraged  the  active  brethren,  who,  rather  than 
cause  any  unpleasant  feelings  in  certain  quarters,  held  back.  The 
Spirit  of  God  was  grieved,  and  the  revival  stopped.  The  man 
of  God  was  disheartened,  and  went  to  another  town,  where  ministers 
and  people  made  him  welcome,  commenced  hostilities  against  the 
ranks  of  sin,  and  the  result  was  an  extensive  revival — ^hundreds 
of  sinners  were  converted.     News  of  these  displays  of  the  power  of 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  199 

God  reached  the  former  town,  and  caused  great  searchings  of  heart. 
They  saw  their  error,  humbled  themselves,  and  invited  him  to 
return.  In  the  mean  time,  to  show  how  sincere  were  their  desires 
for  a  revival,  they  began  special  services  of  their  own  accord.  The 
minister  returned,  and  found  them  holding  their  meetings  in  a  large 
lecture-room.  He  proposed  that  they  should  open  at  once  their 
spacious  and  beautiful  chapel,  have  it  lighted  brilliantly  every  nighty 
and  comfortably  warmed,  for  it  was  winter-time,  and  thus  let  the 
public  know  that  they  intended  to  accomphsh  something,  by  the 
help  of  the  Most  High,  and  upon  a  large  scale.  They  did  so. 
During  the  first  and  second  weeks,  sinners  were  very  hard,  although 
they  had  preaching  twice  a  day,  and  little  was  done.  At  length, 
after  their  past  unbelief  and  indifference  had  been  well  chastised, 
and  their  faith  tried  to  the  utmost,  the  Lord  came  down  amongst 
them  in  glorious  power,  and  sinners  were  converted  on  every  hand. 

Having  seen  their  error  in  the  former  instance,  they  resolved  now 
to  improve  this  victory  to  the  utmost.  Opposers  of  the  first  effort 
entered  fully  into  the  work,  and  the  revival  efforts  were  continued 
several  months,  and  the  saved  of  the  Lord  were  very  many. 

Getting  the  Smoke  without  the  Fire. — In  the  Memou-s 
of  the  late  Mr.  WilHam  Dawson,  is  found  the  following  anecdote  : 

Mr.  Dawson,  it  seems,  was  one  day  accosted  by  an  individual  who 
said  he  had  been  present  at  a  certain  meeting  ;  that  he  liked  the 
preaching  very  well  indeed,  but  was  much  dissatisfied  with  the 
prayer-meeting,  adding,  that  he  usually  lost  all  the  good  he  had 
received  during  the  sermon,  by  remaining  in  these  noisy  meetings. 
Mr.  D.  replied,  that  he  should  have  united  with  the  people  of  God  in 
the  prayer-meeting,  if  he  desired  to  retain  or  obtain  good.  "  Oh  !" 
said  the  gentleman,  "  I  went  into  the  gallery,  where  I  leaned  over 
the  front,  and  saw  the  whole.  But  I  could  get  no  good  ;  I  lost, 
indeed,  all  the  benefit  I  had  received  during  the  sermon." 

"  It  is  easy  to  account  for  that,"  rejoined  Mr.  Dawson. 

"  How  so  ?"  inquired  the  other.  H 

"  You  mounted  to  the  top  of  the  house,  and,  on  looking  down 
your  neighbor's  chimney  to  see  what  kind  of  a  fire  he  kept,  you  got 
your  eyes  filled  with  smoke.     Had  you  entered  by  the  door,  gone 


200  EEMABKABLE   C0NVEK3I0NS 

into  the  room,  and  mingled  with  the  family  around  the  household 
hearth,  you  would  have  enjoyed  the  benefit  of  the  fire,  as  well  as 
they.     Sir,  you  have  got  the  smoke  in  your  eyes  ! 

Conversion  of  Mr.  George  Inglis. — Very  early  in  life 
he  began  to  drink  in  iniquity  like  water,  discovered  strong  preju- 
dices against  serious  persons  and  serious  things  ;  associated  with  the 
gay,  libertine,  and  dissipated  ;  never  read  the  Scriptures  except  so 
much  of  them  as  enabled  him  to  construe  his  Greek  lessons,  whilst 
in  college.  His  propensities  to  sinful  indulgences  increased  with  his 
years,  and  he  became  more  and  more  confirmed  in  the  habits  of  sin, 
until  at  length  he  was  given  up  to  almost  every  species  of  iniquity. 
Thus  he  continued,  till  some  years  afterwards,  being  in  the  town  of 
Manchester,  Virginia,  without  any  natural  (known)  cause  to  pro- 
duce the  effect,  he  was  smitten  by  the  hand  of  Gocl,  whilst  in  the 
possession  of  good  health,  with  the  total  loss  of  sight  within  a  few 
days.  In  this  situation  his  mind  was  all  distraction.  His  cry  was 
to  man  only  for  help  ;  but  to  God  his  Maker,  who  giveth  songs  in 
the  night  to  the  aflBicted  and  oppressed,  he  had  not  learned  to  cry. 
This  lesson,  however,  he  was  taught  not  long  afterwards.  Mrs. 
Snowden,  who  was  the  instrument  of  his  conversion,  relates  that  she 
found  him  a  man  of  strong  passions,  impatient  of  restraint  and 
affliction,  bitterly  opposed  to  religion,  and  determined  to  destroy  his 
own  life  if  his  eyesight  should  not  be  restored.  She  persuaded  him 
to  listen  to  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures.  "  It  appeared  to  me,"  she 
continues,  "  that  fie  waited  impatiently  for  the  arrival  of  the  ap- 
pointed hour,  for,  no  sooner  did  the  time  come,  than  he  sent  for 
me.  Beginning  with  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis,  before  we  had 
gone  through  the  chapter,  he  stopped  me  to  express  his  admiration 
of  the  language.  *  It  was  sublime  beyond  anything  he  had  ever 
read.'  While  I  was  reading,  he  was  all  attention  ;  and  when  the 
time  arrived  when  I  was  under  the  necessity  of  leaving  off,  it  was 
with  regret  that  he  observed  that  I  had  finished  ;  putting  me  in 
mind,  at  the  same  time,  of  my  promise  to  attend  to  him,  on  the 
next  day.  I  think  it  was  on  the  second  day  of  my  reading  to  him, 
that  he  cried  out,  '  What  a  wretch  am  I  to  have  spoken  against 
such  a  book  1  a  book  that  I  knew  nothing  of,  having  never  given  it 


Ain)   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  201 

an  attentive  perusal/  I  went  on  for  a  few  days,  reading  to  him 
according  to  the  plan  laid  down,  which  was  one  hour  every  day, 
when  the  distress  of  his  mind  greatly  increased."  It  pleased  God, 
by  these  means  to  bring  him  to  very  serious  and  deep  impressions 
of  his  moral  character,  and  to  constrain  him,  after  some  time,  to 
attempt  to  pray.  "  This  change,"  says  the  Kev.  Wm.  Tennent, 
''  was  effected  in  the  gentleness,  kindness,  and  tenderness  of  infinite 
mercy,  and  without  those  horrors  which  often  precede  the  conversion 
of  high-handed  and  daring  sinners.  In  his  case,  all  was  mercy, 
without  extraordinary  terror.  He  was  embraced  in  the  arms  of  re- 
deeming love,  and  delivered  from  the  fiery  pit  without  beholding  its 
awful  flames.  In  his  first  attempt  to  supplicate  the  Deity,  he  was 
principally  affected  with  a  sense  of  the  baseness  of  his  conduct,  and 
vile  ingratitude  for  the  mercies  bestowed,  and  this  exercise  was  ac- 
companied with  an  involuntary  flow  of  tears,  and  a  desire  to  call 
God  his  Father,  and  afterwards  {o  mention  the  blessed  name  of 
Jesus,  the  Saviour.  Probably,  this  was  the  beginning  of  his  new 
birth,  and  the  hour  of  his  conversion  ;  which  was  not  long  after- 
wards confirmed  by  a  remarkable  vision  of  two  books,  with  a  glo- 
rious light  shining  in  the  midst  of  them,  as  he  was  lying  in  his  bed  ; 
which  he  apprehended  to  be  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  of  the 
living  God,  presented  to,  and  impressing  on  his  mind  this  sacred 
declaration,  but  without  a  voice,  *  This  is  the  way,'  and  filling  his 
soul  at  the  same  time  with  inexpressible  joy." 

Soul  and  Body  healed  by  Christ.— Says  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Alexander  :  *'  A  young  gentleman  of  fortune  and  liberal  education, 
had  been  for  some  months  thinking  seriously  about  his  soul's  salva- 
tion ;  but  the  work  had  not  come  to  any  maturity,  when  by  making 
too  great  an  exertion  of  his  bodily  strength,  he  ruptured  a  large 
blood-vessel  in  the  lungs,  and  was  brought  to  death's  door  ;  not 
being  able  to  speak  above  a  low  whisper.  Having  been  a  pupil  of 
mine,  I  was  permitted  to  see  him,  and  upon  asking  the  state  of  his 
mind,  he  whispered  in  my  ear,  that  he  was  overwhelmed  with  the 
most  awful  darkness  and  terror — not  one  ray  of  light  dawned  upon 
his  miserable  soul.  I  prayed  with  him  and  presented  to  him  a  few 
gospel  invitations  and  promises,  and  left  Mm,  never  expecting  to 


202 


EEMAEKABLE   CONVERSIONS 


see  him  alive.  Next  day  I  called,  the  physician  coming  out  of 
his  room,  informed  me,  that  while  they  were  waiting  for  his  last  breath 
a  favorable  change  seemed  unexpectedly  to  have  taken  place,  and 
he  had  revived  a  little.  AVhen  I  approached  his  bed,  he  looked 
ioyfully  in  my  face,  pressed  my  hand,  and  said,  '  All  is  well — I  have 
found  peace.  This  morning,  about  the  dawn,  I  had  the  most 
delightful  view  of  Christ,  and  of  his  ability  and  willingness  to  save 
me.'  And  upon  inquiry,  I  found  that  that  was  the  moment  when 
the  favorable  change  took  place  in  his  symptoms.  Faith  and  joy 
accomplished  what  no  medicine  could,  and  acted  as  a  reviving  cordial 
to  his  dying  body.  He  so  far  recovered  as  to  live  a  number  of 
years  afterwards,  though  his  lungs  were  never  sound  ;  and  his  con- 
sistent walk  and  conversation  attested  the  reality  of  his  change." 

The  Gentleness  of  Grace. — While  spending  a  summer  in 
Germantown,  near  Philadelphia,  I  was  sent  for  to  visit  a  young 
man  whom  I  had  often  seen.  He  did  not  belong  to  my  charge,  but 
two  pious  ladies  who  did,  were  his  friends,  and  had  come  out  of  the 
city  to  nurse  him.  He  had  a  hemorrhage  of  the  lungs,  which  left 
little  room  to  hope  for  recovery.  As  he  was  a  mild  and  moral  man, 
I  did  not  know  but  that  he  might  be  a  professor  of  religion  ;  but 
upon  asking  him  a  question  respecting  his  hope,  he  frankly  told  me 
that  he  had  been  skeptical  for  many  years,  and  had  no  belief  that 
the  gospel  was  divine.  I  never  felt  more  at  a  loss.  The  man  was 
too  weak  to  attend  to  argument,  and  if  I  could,  by  reasoning,  con- 
vince him  of  his  error,  it  would  not  be  a  saving  faith,  and  he  must 
die  before  this  process  could  be  gone  through.  I  found  that  his  in- 
fidelity afforded  him  no  comfort  in  a  dying  hour,  and  that  he  wished 
he  could  believe  in  Christ.  It  occurred  to  me  that  the  word  of  God 
contained  light  and  energy  in  itself,  and  that  if  he  could  not  attend 
to  the  external  evidences,  the  beams  of  truth  might  shine  in  upon  his 
soul,  and  thus  generate  a  saving  faith  by  the  efficient  aid  of  the 
Spirit.  After  pointing  out  the  probable  sources  of  his  skepticism, 
I  requested  the  ladies  who  were  attending  on  him,  to  read  certain 
portions  of  the  gospel  to  him,  as  he  could  bear  it — for  he  was  very 
low.  This  was  done  ;  and  the  next  day,  when  I  came  to  see  him, 
he  declared  that  his  doubts  were  all  scattered,  and  that  he  had 


Am)   REVIVAL  INCIDENTS.  203 

hope  in  Christ.     Afterwards,  he  was  never  able  to  converse  ;  but,  as 
far  as  is  known,  died  in  hope. 

Remarkable  Interposition  of  the  Spirit.— The  fol- 
lowing is  the  religious  experience  of  G A S ,  an  Epis- 
copal Clergyman  in  H ,  communicated  to  the  Kev.  Dr.  Alexan- 
der. 

"  I  had  become  much  involved  in  the  spirit  of  infidelity,  together 
with  several  others.  One  evening,  in  particular,  I  trembled  at  the 
thoughts  of  our  conversation  :  in  the  darkness  of  our  minds,  we  had 
denied  all.  A  few  days  afterwards,  one  of  my  companions,  noted 
for  his  brightness  of  intellect,  called  at  my  room,  and  said,  I  have 
been  reading  Alexander's  '  Evidences  of  the  Christian  Religion,'  and 
it  almost  persuaded  me  to  be  a  Christian.  I  well  remember  with 
what  great  delight  I  received  the  communication,  resolving  to  get 
the  book,  and  '  see  if  those  things  were  so  ;'  not,  however,  with  any 
view  or  desire  of  becoming  a  Christian  at  present.  In  due  time, 
the  book  was  procured,  I  retired  to  my  room,  my  heart  as  hard  as 
the  mill-stone.  I  opened  to  the  introduction,  the  most  blind  of 
unbelievers.  I  began  to  read,  I  had  proceeded  half  way  through 
the  introduction,  and  was  suddenly  impressed  that  the  religion  of  Christ 
was  of  God.  I  did  not  doubt  its  truth  more  than  I  did  my  hfe  : 
ye.t  I  was  entirely  without  argument.  At  that  time  I  could  have 
given  no  reason,  yet  I  did  not  doubt.  I  felt  a  perfect  belief  that  an 
Omnipotent  Spirit  did  it.  Before,  I  hardly  believed  there  was  a 
God  :  now  I  felt  it  as  by  a  two-edged  sword.  It  was  a  most 
awfully  subUme  moment  ;  yet  I  had  not  the  least  fear.  I  did  not  even 
think  of  sin.  The  next  impression  was,  that  I  was  undergoing  a 
conversion.  This,  I  would  not  then  :  the  thought  was  very  pleasant, 
that  now  I  knew  Christ  died  for  the  world  ;  and  that  at  some  future 
time,  I  would  go  further  in  his  love.  I  was  happy,  sublime  ;  no 
terror  ;  a  thought  did  not  enter  my  mind  of  the  consequences  of 
delay.  To  avoid  the  progress  of  conversion,  I  threw  down  the  book 
perfectly  satisfied,  for  I  had  attained  to  one  of  the  most  splendid 
pieces  of  consciousness  imaginable  ;  a  sight  beyond  the  veil,  within 
eternity,  worth  thousands  of  worlds  to  me.  I  turned  to  think  of 
something  else.     And    oh  !    the  horrors  of  hell,  how  they  came 


204:  KEMAEKABLE    CONVEKSIONS 

floodiDg  in  upon  my  soul.     I  felt  that  an  Omnipotent  hand  was 
guiding  them  there.     Commensurate  with  my  agony,  was  my  awful 
sense  of  sinfulness  ;  a  conviction  of  sin,  righteousness,  and  judgment 
to  come,  rose  before  my  eyes  in  immense  reahty.     I  felt  no  anguish, 
no  fear,  no  sin,  until  I  resolved  not  to  attend  to  these  things  at  present. 
My  anguish  of  soul  became  insupportable,  it  thickened  and  darkened, 
I  could  not  endure  it  longer.     And  with  the  sole  view  of  escaping  my 
present  misery,  I  resolved  to  yield  to  the  will  of  that  Mighty  Being 
who  was  rending  my  soul.     I  instantly  caught  up  the  book,  and 
offered  a  prayer  for  mercy.     The  intensity  of  my  anguish  began 
immediately  to  subside.     The  wrath  of  God  seemed  to  mitigate  ;  in 
a  few  moments,  I  settled  down  into  a  state  of  deep  and  solemn  con- 
viction of  sin  ;  a  state  more  tolerable  than  the  former  ;  but  still  one 
of  gloom  so  thick  that  it  could  be  felt.     A  mountain  weight  pressed 
upon  my  soul  ;  how  to  remove  it  I  knew  not,  for  the  spirit  still  held 
me  bound.     I  did  not  know  but  this  was  to  continue  through  life. 
I  endeavored  to  lose  my  feelings,  and  feel  at  ease,  but  I  could  not. 
I  knew  nothing  of  the  way  of  salvation  ;  I  had  no  spiritual  guide  ; 
but  in  order  to  keep  my  present  sorrow  as  light  as  possible,  I  con- 
tinued to  read  and  pray  for  mercy.     Thus  I  continued  in  the  wilder- 
ness for  about  a  week  :  when,  sitting  by  my  fireside,  dwelling  upon 
my  despair,  a  sudden  light  came  down  from  heaven  ;  I  saw  the 
open  gate — '  the  way,  the  to-uth,  and  the  life ' — a  new  song  was  put 
into  my  mouth,  and  I  rejoiced  with  joy  unspeakable,  and  full  of 
glory  !" 

Sudden  Conversion  of  an  Officer  in  the  U.  S. 
Army. — "  I  was  in  the  act  of  throwing  myself  on  the  settee,  when 
I  carelessly  took  up  the  Bible,  which  haj:)pened  to  be  lying  near  me. 
The  first  chapter  I  opened  at,  was  the  1st  general  Epistle  of  Peter, 
chapter  1st.  But  how  shall  I  describe  my  feelings,  the  moment  I 
cast  my  eyes  upon  its  pages  I  My  heart  was  melted  into  deep  con- 
trition. I  felt  the  love  of  God  shed  abroad  in  my  whole  being.  I 
was  convinced  that  I  had  the  Holy  Spirit  at  work  within  me.  I 
was  affected  to  tears  at  his  goodness.  /  wejpt  like  a  child.  I  felt 
that  I  had  been  a  sinner.  My  ingratitude  came  like  a  flood 
upon  me.     I  was  overcome  with  gratitude  for  his  mercy.     It  com- 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  •  205 

pletely  filled  my  whole  being.  I  rejoiced  in  the  thought,  that 
though  I  had  been  a  wanderer  from  him,  yet  he  was  a  good  and 
kind  Saviour,  and  was  ready  to  forgive  me  all  the  injuries  I  had 
done  him.  I  could  indeed  say,  with  deep  conviction,  as  I  read  the 
passage  which  presented  himself  to  me  :  '  Blessed  be  the  God  and 
Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  which,  according  to  his  abund- 
ant mercy,  hath  begotten  us  again  unto  a  lively  hope,  by  the 
resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead.'  Indeed,  this  whole 
chapter  seemed  to  be  perfectly  adapted  to  my  state.  I  recollect, 
in  particular,  the  eighth  verse  was  singularly  pleasing  to  me. 
*  Whom  having  not  seen,  ye  love  ;  in  whom  though  now  ye  see 
him  not,  yet  believing,  ye  rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable,  and  full  of 
glory.' 

"  Another  remarkable  circumstance  connected  with  this  display 
of  divine  goodness,  was,  the  wonderful  acuteness  of  intellect  I  felt 
myself  to  have,  in  reading  the  word  of  God.  And  not  only  could  I 
perceive  things  in  the  gospel  that  I  never  saw  before,  but  I  felt 
my  whole  character  changed.  I  felt  not  only  a  strong  love  to 
God,  but  to  everybody  around  me.  I  could  have  wept  upon  the 
bosom  of  my  bitterest  enemy.  Oh  !  the  joys  of  that  moment  I 
But,  alas  !  how  vain  and  impotent  are  the  attempts  of  man,  unless 
the  Holy  Spirit  of  God  remains  with  him.  I  recollect  very  well, 
that  I  thought  I  would  go  and  see  the  minister,  and  tell  him  what 
had  passed.  But  not  acting  up  to  the  suggestion  immediately,  I 
neglected  it,  and  soon  again,  sad  to  say,  I  had  relapsed  into  my 
former  forgetfulness  of  the  Lord.  The  fear  of  the  ridicule  of  the 
world  had  been  too  strong  for  my  faith,  and  I  felt,  too,  that  I  could 
not  yet  give  up  the  world,  and  declare  myself  on  the  Lord's  side. 
But  still  he  would  not  let  me  go.  He  would  not  give  me  up.  I  was 
removed  shortly  afterwards  to  another  station,  and  here  I  can  see 
the  all  gracious  design  of  Providence  in  this  change.  I  was  by  this 
means  thrown  into  the  society  of  several  pious  officers.  One  in  par- 
ticular, whom  I  valued  very  highly,  and  who,  the  very  evening  he 
conversed  with  me  upon  the  goodness  of  God,  in  twice  leading  him 
back  from  signal  relapses  into  sin,  was  seized  with  the  fever,  that  in 
five  days  carried  him  to  his  grave,  was  in  particular  of  great  service 
to  me,  under  the  divine  blessing,  in  confirming  me  in  my  resolves  to 


206  REMARKABLE  00NVEE8I0NS 

renounce  the  world,  and  cleave  unto  the  Lord  ;  and  so,  indeed,  were 
all  the  others.  Sufifice  it  to  say,  that  not  many  months  after  I  came 
among  them,  I  openly  proclaimed  myself  on  the  Lord's  side,  and 
sealed  the  covenant  by  partaking  of  the  emblems  of  his  body  and 
blood.  And  it  is  an  additional  source  of  happiness  for  me  to  state, 
that  it  was  not  long  after,  that  the  partner  of  my  bosom  also 
renounced  the  world,  and  joined  me  in  the  race  set  before  us  in  the 
gospel." 

A  Wanderer  Restored. — There  have  been  very  remarkable 
instances  (says  Mr.  Spurgeon,  in  one  of  his  sermons)  of  God  deli- 
vering his  people  out  of  the  snare  of  the  fowler,  as  the  following 
illustration  will  show  : 

"  A  young  lady,  who  belonged  to  a  church  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  married  a  young  man  who  was  not  a  Christian.  He  was  a 
merchant,  engaged  in  a  lucrative  business,  and  the  golden  stream  of 
wealth  flowed  in  upon  him  till  he  had  amassed  a  large  fortune.  He 
accordingly  retired  from  business,  and  went  into  the  country.  He 
purchased  a  splendid  residence  ;  fine  trees  waved  their  luxuriant 
foliage  around  it  ;  here  was  a  lake  filled  with  fish,  and  there  a  gar- 
den full  of  rare  shrubbery  and  flowers.  Their  house  was  fashionably 
and  expensively  furnished  ;  and  they  seemed  to  possess  all  of  earth 
that  mortal  could  desire.  Thus  prospered,  and  plied  with  an  inter- 
change of  civilities  among  her  gay  and  fashionable  neighbors,  the 
piety  of  the  lady  declined,  and  her  heart  became  wedded  to  the 
world.  And  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  that  her  three  children,  as 
they  grew  up,  imbibed  her  spirit  and  copied  her  example.  *A 
severe  disease/  it  is  said,  'demands  a  severe  remedy  ;'  and  that  God 
soon  applied.  One  morning  intelligence  came  that  her  little  son 
had  fallen  into  the  fish-lake,  and  was  drowned.  The  mother's  heart 
was  pierced  with  the  affliction,  and  she  wept  and  murmured  against 
the  providence  of  God.  Soon  afterwards,  her  only  daughter,  a 
blooming  girl  of  sixteen,  was  taken  sick  of  a  fever  and  died.  It 
seemed  then  as  if  the  mother's  heart  would  have  broken.  But 
this  new  stroke  of  the  rod  of  a  chastening  Father  seemed  but 
to  increase  her  displeasure  against  his  will.  The  only  remaining 
child,  her  eldest  son,  who  had  come  home  from  college  to  attend  his 


AND  REVIVAL  INCIDENTS.  207 

sister^s  funeral,  went  out  into  the  fields  soon  afterwards,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  hunting.  In  getting  over  a  fence,  he  put  his  gun  over  first 
to  assist  himself  in  springing  to  the  ground,  when  it  accidentally 
discharged  itself  and  killed  him  !  What  then  were  that  mother's 
feelings  ?  In  the  extravagance  of  her  grief,  she  fell  down,  tore 
her  hair,  and  raved  like  a  maniac  against  the  providence  of  God. 
The  father,  whose  grief  was  already  almost  insupportable,  when  he 
looked  upon  the  shocking  spectacle,  and  heard  her  frenzied  ravings, 
could  endure  his  misery  no  longer.  The  iron  entered  into  his 
soul  and  he  fell  a  speedy  victim  to  his  accumulated  afflictions. 
From  the  wife  and  mother,  her  husband  and  all  her  children  were 
now  taken  away.  Reason  returned,  and  she  was  led  to  reflection. 
She  saw  her  dreadful  backslidings,  her  pride,  her  rebellion  ;  and  she 
wept  with  the  tears  of  a  deep  repentance.  Peace  was  restored  to 
her  soul.  Then  could  she  lift  up  her  hands  to  heaven,  exclaiming, 
'  I  thank  thee,  0  Father  ! — the  Lord  hath  given,  the  Lord  hath 
taken  away,  and  blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord.'  Thus  did 
her  afflictions  yield  the  peaceable  fruit  of  righteousness,  and  her 
heavenly  Father  chasten  her,  '  not  for  his  pleasure,  but  for  her  pro- 
fit, that  she  might  become  partaker  of  his  holiness.' " 

Revival  in  Montreal. — I  remember  a  revival,  which  oc- 
curred in  the  city  of  Montreal,  Canada,  in  the  winter  of  1835;  but 
its  commencement  showed  a  difference  of  administration  by  the 
same  Spirit.  I  had  not  the  privilege  of  being  present  during  the 
hour  in  which  was  displayed  this  manifestation  of  the  power  of  God 
over  mind.  Those  who  witnessed  it  informed  me  that  it  was  a 
scene  of  overpowering  interest.  During  more  than  one  week  they 
had  preaching  every  night.  On  the  evening  in  question,  the  dis- 
course was  more  than  usually  pointed  and  solemn.  A  death-like 
stillness  pervaded  the  large  assembly.  At  the  close  of  the  sermon, 
an  unexpected  influence  came  down  upon  the  people.  But,  instead 
of  two  or  three  persons  manifesting  a  desire  for  salvation,  the 
entire  congregation  seemed  to  be  moved  at  once,  like  a  forest  bend- 
ing beneath  a  heavy  gale.  There  was  very  little  noise ;  no  shout- 
ing or  screaming;  but  many  tears  and  sighs  among  the  multitudes; 
and  strong  men  bowing  themselves,  in  penitentii^l  sorrow,  before  the 


208  REMAEKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

Lord  God  of  hosts,  with  earnest  prayer;  but  evidently  restraining 
the  deep  emotions  which  agitated  their  souls.  When  an  invitation 
was  given  to  penitents,  and  they  were  exhorted  to  come  forward  for 
the  prayers  of  God's  people,  the  aisles  were  speedily  filled,  all 
crowding  toward  the  communion-rails;  rich  and  poor  were  seen 
mingling  together.  I  cannot  enter  into  all  the  particulars;  but  it 
was  supposed  that,  within  the  short  space  of  four  weeks,  four  hun- 
dred sinners  were  converted  to  God. 

A  Terrible  Death-Scene. — A  very  short  time  ago,  says 
the  Rev.  James  Caughey,  God  took  away  an  infidel  in  the  still  hour 

of  night,  in  the  town  of ,  while  the  inhabitants  were  wrapt  in 

profound  slumber.  An  infidel  felt  his  final  hour  approaching;  his 
infidelity  vanished  before  the  upraidings  of  his  guilty,  awakened 
conscience.  "  Go,"  said  the  dying  man,  "  to  such  a  local  preacher, 
and  beg  him  to  come  and  give  me  some  advice  about  my  soul." 
The  messenger  hastened  away,  and,  though  the  preacher  had  been 
laid  up  with  a  bad  arm,  he  dressed  himself,  and  paced  his  way 
through  the  silent  streets,  and  by  the  aid  of  the  lamp  that  gleamed 
on  his  path,  soon  found  his  way  to  the  door  of  the  poor  dying  infi- 
del. As  he  entered  the  room,  the  eyes  of  the  dying  man  turned 
towards  him,  lit  up  with  an  unearthly  lustre; — his  very  soul  seemed 
gleaming  in  his  eyes;  he  cried,  "  0,  sir,  save  me,  save  me,  do  save 
me!" 

"  My  friend,  I  cannot  save  you;  God  alone  can  save  you, — cry  to 
him  for  salvation." 

"  0,  sir,  do  you  save  me!" 

Said  the  preacher,  "  God  sometimes  makes  man  the  instrument 
of  enlightening  a  dark  mind  like  yours,  but  he  alone  can  save  youi 
soul."  The  preacher  knelt  down  and  pleaded  with  God  that  ho 
would  save  the  man, — pleaded  with  unusual  liberty;  pleaded,  read, 
and  exhorted  him  for  two  hours.  The  expiring  man  listened  with 
the  deepest  attention,  and  appeared  to  drink  in  every  word  that  fell 
from  the  lips  of  the  man  of  God,  At  length,  the  devil  seemed  to 
make  his  last  effort,  and,  we  are  grieved  to  add,  we  fear  a  success- 
ful one.  When  the  preacher  expected  symptoms  of  penitence,  he 
roused  himself  up,  as  though  a  fiend  had  taken  possession  of  him; 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  209 

he  began  to  swear  in  a  most  horrible  manner,  and  to  blaspheme  the 
name  of  God.  He  turned  his  eyes  upon  the  preacher,  and  said, 
"  Out,  out  of  my  room!  If  I  could  reach,  I  would  dash  your  brains 
out!"  The  preacher  said,  "I  knew  he  was  too  weak  to  leave  his 
bed  to  reach  me.  I  felt  resolved,  however,  not  to  give  up  the  con- 
test; I  therefore  knelt  down  again,  and  pleaded  with  God  for  his 
salvation.  As  death  approached, — as  the  dimness  of  the  grave 
began  to  gather  over  him, — as  the  room  was  growing  dark  to  his 
fading  sight, — he  became  more  and  more  furious.  The  tones  of 
agonizing  prayer  and  the  horrible  ravings  of  the  infidel  blended  in 
wild  confusion,  and,  doubtless,  presented  to  heaven  and  hell  a  scene 
of  fearful  conflict,  of  intense  interest.  The  closing  scene  was  evi- 
dently fast  approaching, — the  struggle  was  reaching  its  chmax. 
The  moment  that  was  to  fix  him  in  heaven  or  hell  was  just  at  hand. 
The  scene  was  intensely  exciting.  The  quiet  that  reigned  without 
in  the  street,  the  solemn  hour  of  midnight,  added  to  the  solemnity 
of  the  scene.  Nothing  was  heard  now  but  the  two  voices, — that 
of  prayer  and  swearing  vying  with  each  other  in  energy.  The  fatal 
moment  now  arrived, — the  whole  frame  of  the  infidel  was  convulsed 
in  the  agonies  of  death.  He  fixed  his  two  elbows  on  the  pillow, 
raised  himself  up  in  the  bed,  and,  with  a  wild  and  frightful  scream, 
cried,  '  O  God,  this  moment  damn  my  soul  P  " — he  fell  hack  upon  the 
pillow,  and  expired.  The  scene  on  earth  closed,  and  the  eyes  of 
another  world  looked  upon  the  sequel. 

A  Singular  Conversion. — In  a  certain  part  of  America,  sur- 
rounded with  woods,  a  minister  of  Jesus  was  preaching  the  gospel 
to  a  hstening  crowd.  A  stranger,  on  horseback,  proceeding  through 
the  forest,  hearing  the  sound  of  a  human  voice,  paused  ;  and  then, 
through  curiosity,  approached  sufficiently  near  to  hear  the  truth  de- 
livered by  the  earnest  preacher,  but  did  not  alight.  What  he 
heard,  it  seems,  made  no  impression  upon  his  mind  at  the  time,  and 
he  continued  his  journey.  As  he  rode  along,  he  began  to  reflect 
upon  the  importance  of  the  truth  he  had  just  been  hearing.  The 
Spirit  of  God  accompanied  his  meditations  in  so  forcible  a  manner 
to  his  conscience,  that  he  fell  from  his  horse,  as  one  dead.  How 
long  he  lay  upon  the  ground,  he  could  not  tell ;  but  upon  coming  to 


210  EEMAJRKABLE  CONVERSIONS 

his  senses,  he  perceived  that  a  surprising  change  had  taken  place  in 
his  mind.     Love,  peace,  and  sweet  communion  with  G-od,  had  taken 
possession  of  his  heart  ;  he  was  a  new  creature  in  Christ  Jesus. 
Upon  looking  round  for  his  horse,  it  was  gone,  and  had  carried  off 
his  portmanteau,  in  which  was  all  his  money,  etc.     Returning  upon 
his  track,  he  found  the  animal  entangled  by  the  bridle  in  a  brake, 
and  all  his  property  safe.     He  remounted,  and  proceeded  on  his  way 
rejoicing.     When  he  arrived  at  a  certain  town  (a  place,  by  the 
way,  notorious  for  wickedness),  he  began  to  proclaim  what  great 
things  God  had  done  for  his  soul.     The  people  were  astounded,  and 
considered  the  man  insane,  and  were  about  to  confine  him.     He  told 
them,  with  heaven  beaming  in  his  countenance,  that  he  had  never 
been  in  the  right  exercise  of  his  reason  till  a  few  hours  before  ;  but 
that  now  he  was  in  his  right  mind,  and  very  happy  in  God,  and  that 
they  need  not  give  themselves  any  uneasiness  about  him.     He  then 
related  the  circumstances  of  his  conversion,  and  exhorted  them  to 
flee  from  the  wrath  to  come.     The  power  of  God  attended  his  ex- 
hortations, and  many  gave  heed  to  the  things  spoken  by  the  stran- 
ger ;  a  revival  began  from  that  day,  and  a  great  number  of  people 
were  the  saved  of  the  Lord. 

The  Romish  Penitent. — Among  the  Roman  Catholics  in 
Wiggensbach,  of  which  Martin  Boos  was  curate  for  a  time,  were 
many  persons  who,  failing  to  find  comfort,  either  by  attending  the 
confessional  or  by  receiving  absolution  from  the  priests,  retired  into 
convents,  where  they  hoped  to  obtain  relief  for  their  spiritual  wants. 
Of  this  class  was  a  female,  who,  having  been  disgusted  with  the 
world,  formed  the  design  of  entering  a  nunnery.  Imagining  that  in 
ench  a  retreat  she  would  lead  a  holy  and  happy  life.  Accordingly, 
she  withdrew  to  a  nunnery,  with  a  feeling  of  ecstasy,  as  if  entering 
heaven  itself.  But  she  found  there  no  spiritual  life — no  Saint  The- 
resa— and  told  her  associates  that  they  were  no  nuns,  but  mere 
hood-wearers.  She  soon  left  them,  and  then  tried  what  pilgrimages 
could  do  for  her.  She  travelled  twice  to  Maria  Einsiedel,  in  Swit- 
zerland, but  the  second  time  came  back  more  uneasy  and  dissatisfied 
than  before.  She  entreated  her  parish  priest  to  tell  her  some  other 
method  of  appeasing  the  inexpressible  longings  of  her  heart ;  but  to 


AND   EEVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  211 

no  purpose.  He  only  taxed  her  with  pride  and  folly,  and  asked  her 
whether  she  was  not  learned  enough,  or  whether  she  wanted  to  be 
wiser  than  himself.  At  last  she  consulted  Boos,  and  found  what 
her  soul  had  been  seeking  :  he  led  her  to  Christ,  and  in  him  she 
found  the  rest  and  comfort  which  he  offers  to  the  weary  and  heavy 
laden.  From  that  time  she  felt  no  delight  in  her  rosary,  and  other 
formal  devotions.  This  disturbed  her,  and  she  almost  suspected 
herself  of  heresy.  She  laid  the  matter  before  Boos.  He  asked  her 
what  so  occupied  her  time  and  thoughts,  that  she  could  no  longer 
use  her  rosary.  "  I  do  nothing  and  think  of  nothing,"  she  replied, 
"  but  to  love  Jesus  because  he  is  in  me  and  with  me."  "  You  can 
do  nothing  better  than  that,"  said  Boos  :  "  it  is  no  heresy  to  love 
Jesus  and  think  of  him.  To  do  everything  out  of  love  to  him  is  of 
more  worth  than  many  rosaries."  This  satisfied  her  for  a  while  ; 
but  soon  after  the  thought  struck  her,  "  This  clergyman  makes  so 
little  account  of  rosaries,  perhaps  he  is  not  of  much  worth  himself." 
she  went  and  told  him,  with  fear  and  trembling,  what  had  passed 
through  her  mind.  Boos  laughed  heartily,  and  said,  "  Yes,  you  are 
in  the  right  ;  in  myself  I  am  of  no  worth,  but  what  I  have  taught 
you  is  of  worth,  for  it  was  taught  by  Jesus  Christ  and  his  apostles  ; 
that  remains  true  :  continue  then  in  the  faith  ;  do  good  and  shun 
evil." 

Not  long  after,  a  feast  of  indulgences  was  held  in  her  neighbor- 
hood ;  but  instead  of  attending  it  she  went  to  Boos,  fifteen  miles  off 
On  his  asking  her  the  reason,  she  said,  "  Jesus  is  my  absolution, 
since  he  died  for  me.  His  blood,  simply  and  alone,  is  the  absolution 
for  all  my  sins."  ''  But  who  teaches  you  this  ?"  said  Boos.  "  No 
one,"  she  rephed  ;  "  the  thought  comes  of  itself  into  my  mind  :  Jesus 
takes  away  my  sins,  and  those  things,  too,  on  which  I  have  depended 
so  much,  but  have  found  them  to  afford  neither  rest  nor  peace.  I 
am  now  convinced  that  all  is  of  no  avail,  unless  Jesus  takes  away 
our  sin  and  dwells  in  our  hearts." 

Bunyan's  Pastor,  Gifford. — Southey  states  that  he  had 
been  a  major  in  the  king's  army,  and  continuing  true  to  the  cause 
after  the  ruin  of  his  party,  engaged  in  the  insurrection  of  his  loyal 
countrymen  (the  Kentish  men),  for  which  he  and  eleven  others  were 


212  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

condemned  to  the  gallows.  On  the  night  before  the  intended  exe- 
cution, his  sister  came  to  visit  him  ;  she  found  the  sentinels  who  kept 
the  door,  asleep,  and  she  urged  him  to  take  the  opportunity  of 
escaping — which  he  alone  of  the  prisoners  was  able  to  attempt,  for 
his  companions  had  stupefied  themselves  with  drink.  Gififord  passed 
safely  through  the  sleeping  guard,  got  into  the  field,  lay  there  some 
three  days  in  a  ditch,  till  the  great  search  for  him  was  over,  then,  by 
help  of  his  friends,  was  conveyed  in  disguise  to  London,  and  after- 
wards into  Bedfordshire,  where,  as  long  as  the  danger  continued,  he 
was  harbored  by  certain  royalists  of  rank  in  that  county.  When  con- 
cealment was  no  longer  necessary,  he  came  as  a  stranger  to  Bedford, 
and  there  practised  physic.  Gifford  was  at  that  time  leading  a  pro- 
fligate and  reckless  life,  like  many  of  his  fellow-sufferers,  whose  for- 
tunes had  been  wrecked  in  the  general  calamity.  He  was  a  great 
drinker,  a  gambler,  and  oaths  came  from  his  lips  with  habitual  pro- 
faneness.  Some  of  his  actions,  indeed,  are  said  to  have  evinced  as 
much  extravagance  of  mind  as  wickedness  of  heart  ;  and  he  hated 
the  Puritans  so  heartily  for  the  misery  which  they  had  brought  upon 
the  nation,  and  upon  himself  in  particular,  that  he  often  thought  of 
killing  a  certain  Anthony  Harrison,  for  no  other  provocation  than 
because  he  was  a  leading  man  amongst  persons  of  that  description  in 
Bedford.  For  a  heart  and  mind  so  distressed  there  is  but  one  cure, 
and  that  cure  was  vouchsafed  at  a  moment  when  his  bane  seemed 
before  him.  He  had  lost  one  night  about  fifteen  pounds  in  gambling 
— a  large  sum  for  one  so  circumstanced.  The  loss  made  him  furi- 
ous, and  "  many  desperate  thoughts  against  God "  arose  in  him, 
when,  looking  into  the  books  of  Robert  Bolton,  what  he  read  star- 
tled him  into  a  sense  of  his  own  condition.  He  continued  some 
weeks  under  the  weight  of  that  feeling  ;  and  when  it  passed  away,  it 
left  him  in  so  exalted,  and  yet  so  happy  a  state  of  mind,  that  from 
that  time  till  within  a  few  days  of  his  death,  he  declared  "  he  lost  not 
the  light  of  God's  countenance — no,  not  for  an  hour."  And  now  he 
inquired  after  the  meetings  of  the  persons  he  had  formerly  most  de- 
spised, and,  "  being  naturally  bold,  would  thrust  himself  again  into 
their  company,  both  together  and  apart.  They  at  first  regarded 
him  with  jealousy  ;  nor  when  they  were  persuaded  that  he  was  sin- 
cere, did  they  readily  encourage  him  in  his  desire  to  preach  ;  nor 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  213 

after  he  had  made  himself  acceptable  as  a  preacher,  both  in  private 
and  public  trials,  were  they  forward  to  form  themselves  into  a  dis- 
tinct congregation  under  his  care.  At  length  eleven  persons,  of 
whom  Anthony  Harrison  was  one,  came  to  that  determination,  and 
chose  him  for  their  pastor ;  the  principle  upon  which  they  entered 
into  this  fellowship  one  with  another,  and  afterwards  admitted  those 
who  should  desire  to  join  with  them,  being  faith  in  Christ,  and  holi- 
ness of  life,  without  respect  to  any  difference  in  outward  or  circum- 
stantial things."  Bunyan  afterwards  united  with  this  church  by  pro- 
fession of  his  faith. 

Influence  of  a  Pure  Conscience. — In  the  summer  of  1146, 
Samuel  Walker  became  curate  of  the  gay  little  capital  of  Western 
Cornwall.  He  was  clever  and  accomplished — had  learned  from 
books  the  leading  doctrines  of  Christianity,  and,  whilst  mainly  anx- 
ious to  be  a  popular  preacher,  had  a  distinct  desire  to  do  good — but 
did  none.  The  master  of  the  grammar-school  was  a  man  of  splendid 
scholarship,  but  much  hated  for  his  piety.  One  day  Mr.  Walker 
received  from  him  a  note,  with  a  sum  of  money,  requesting  him  to 
pay  it  to  the  Custom-House.  For  his  health,  Mr.  Conon  had  been 
advised  to  drink  some  French  wine,  but  on  that  smuggling  coast 
could  procure  none  on  which  duty  had  been  paid.  Wondering 
whether  this  tenderness  of  conscience  pervaded  all  his  character,  Mr. 
Walker  sought  Mr.  Conon's  acquaintance,  and  was  soon  as  com- 
gletely  enchained  by  the  sweetness  of  his  disposition  as  he  was  awed 
and  astonished  by  the  purity  and  elevation  of  his  conduct.  It  was 
from  the  good  treasure  of  this  good  man's  heart  that  Mr.  Walker 
received  the  gospel.  Having  learned  it,  he  proclaimed  it.  Truro 
was  in  an  uproar.  To  hear  their  general  depravity,  and  to  have 
urged  on  them  repentance  and  the  need  of  a  new  nature  by  one  who 
had  so  lately  mingled  in  all  their  gaieties  and  been  the  soul  of  gen- 
teel amusement,  was  first  startling  and  then  offensive.  But  soon 
faithful  preaching  began  to  tell.  And  in  a  few  years  upwards  of 
eight  hundred  parishioners  had  called  on  him  to  ask  what  they  must 
do  for  their  souls'  salvation  ;  and  his  time  was  mainly  occupied  in 
mstructing  large  classes  of  his  hearers  who  wished  to  live  godly, 
righteously,  and  soberly,  in  this  evil  world.     One  November,  a  body 


214  KEMAEKABLE   CONYEESIONS 

of  troops  arrived  in  his  parish  for  winter  quarters.  He  immediately 
commenced  an  afternoon  sermon  for  their  special  benefit.  He  found 
them  grossly  ignorant.  Bat  when  they  came  under  the  sound  of  his 
tender  but  energetic  voice  the  effect  was  instantaneous.  With 
few  exceptions,  tears  burst  from  every  eye,  and  confessions  of 
sin  from  almost  every  mouth.  In  less  than  nine  weeks  no  fewer 
than  two  hundred  and  fifty  had  sought  his  private  instructions  ; 
and  though  at  first  the  oflQcers  were  alarmed  at  such  an  outbreak  of 
"  Methodism  "  among  their  men,  so  evident  was  the  improvement 
which  took  place,  so  rare  had  punishments  become,  and  so  promptly 
were  commands  obeyed,  that  the  officers  waited  on  Mr.  Walker  in 
a  body,  to  thank  him  for  the  reformation  he  had  effected  in  their 
ranks.  On  the  morning  of  their  march,  many  of  these  brave  fellows 
were  heard  praising  God  for  having  brought  them  under  the  sound 
of  the  gospel,  and,  as  they  caught  the  last  glimpses  of  the  town, 
exclaimed,  "  God  bless  Truro." 

The  Cannibal's  Experience. — When  Christianity  was  in- 
troduced into  the  island  of  Earotonga,  two-and-thirty  years  ago, 
there  was  a  native  priest,  a  savage  cannibal,  who  was  so  enraged  at 
the  success  of  the  gospel,  that,  with  seventy  men  of  like  character,  he 
vowed  a  vow  to  die  rather  than  submit  to  the  new  faith.  This  man 
assisted  in  burning  down  the  first  chapels  and  school-houses  on  the 
island,  and  for  fifteen  years  was  a  determined,  violent,  and  constant 
enemy  to  the  truth.  By  some  means  he  was  induced  to  attend  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel,  became  convinced  of  his  sins,  and  understood 
something  of  Christian  truth,  but  only  enough  to  make  him  unhappy. 
When,  five  years  afterwards,  he  was  admitted  into  the  fellowship  of 
the  Christian  church,  he  spoke  to  this  effect :  "  Brethren,  am  /  here  ? 
I  who  have  been  so  wild  a  savage  ?  Ah  !  brethren  is  a  new  name  to 
us — we  knew  not  what  that  meant  in  our  heathenism."  Pointing 
to  the  old  men,  he  said,  "  You  know  me."  To  one  of  them  he  said, 
"  You  and  I  killed  so  and  so  in  yonder  mountain,  and,  with  others, 
revelled  in  a  cannibal  feast  on  his  body."  He  then  mentioned  three 
persons  by  name  whom  he  and  they  had  murdered  and  eaten.  *'  But 
you,  young  men,"  he  said,  ''  know  me  too  ;  I  burned  down  the  chapel 
and  schools  ;  but  you  do  not  know  all.    These  hands  have  murdered 


AND  KEYIVAL   INCIDEI^TS.  215 

eleven  persons  in  yonder  mountains,  and  I  have  partaken  of  more 
than  twice  that  number  of  feasts  of  human  bodies.  Am  I  here  ?  I 
who  have  done  these  deeds  ?  Some  of  you  have  been  expecting  me 
to  come  and  make  profession  of  my  faith  in  Jesus  long  before  now. 
But  whenever  I  have  thought  of  doing  so,  the  sin  and  guilt  of  my 
cannibalism  have  prevented  me.  This  has  been  the  barrier,  until  the 
other  day  I  heard  the  missionary  preach  from  that  text  in  Isaiah,  '  I 
have  blotted  out,  as  a  thick  cloud,  thy  transgressions,  and,  as  a  cloud, 
thy  sins.'  That  was  the  gospel  to  me.  Among  the  sins  making  up 
that  cloud,  the  sin  of  cannibalism  w^as  noticed,  and  all  its  enormity 
described  ;  but  it  was  shown  that  even  that  could  be  blotted  out  by 
the  blood  of  Jesus.-  My  burden  was  that  moment  removed.  My 
heart  found  peace.  I  had  conversation  with  the  missionary,  and 
now,  as  the  result  of  the  love  and  death  of  Jesus,  it  is  true  that 
I,  even  I,  am  here."  And  this  man,  from  whom  the  demon  of 
sin  and  savageism  was  expelled  by  the  cross  of  Christ,  is  now 
one  of  the  most  intelligent  and  consistent  elders  in  the  Rarotongan 
church. 

In  the  course  of  five-and-thirty  years,  five-and-thirty  islands  in 
these  Southern  seas  have  wholly  cast  away  their  idols  as  the  fruit  of 
the  labors  of  one  society.  And  other  societies  have  been  equally 
successful,  so  that  there  are  now  in  these  regions  240,000  persons 
who  profess  the  faith  of  the  Bible,  and  of  these  46,000  are  in  actual 
membership  as  communicants  at  the  table  of  our  Lord. 

A  Bible,  instead  of  a  STVord.— Dr.  Caesar  Malan  received 
the  foHowing  narrative  from  the  subject  of  it.  A  young  man,  the 
son  of  French  Protestant  parents,  was  turned  aside  from  the  paths 
of  religion  and  virtue  during  his  attendance  at  the  University  of 
Paris.  In  the  pursuit  of  sinful  pleasure,  instead  of  enjoying  satisfac- 
tion, he  was  a  terror  to  himself.  "  When  I  reached  the  age  of 
twenty-six  (he  said)  I  was  in  the  sight  of  God  as  a  madman,  or  like 
the  horse  which  spurns  the  bridle,  rushes  furiously  into  the  battle, 

and  falls,  being  wounded  suddenly  from  every  quarter I  had 

taken  my  degree,  and  entered  on  the  duties  of  my  profession  (as  a 
barrister),  when,  in  one  of  my  fits  of  ungovernable  passion,  I  had  a 
quarrel,  which  ended  in  a  challenge  to  a  duel  with  one  whom  I  tho- 


216  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

roughly  hated,  as  I  regarded  him  as  a  rival.  Our  combat  (why  not 
call  it  our  mutual  purpose  of  assassination  ?)  was  to  take  place  in 
secret.  I  spent  a  whole  day  and  night  in  preparing  for  it,  and  still 
I  could  not  look  forward  to  it  without  horror.  Not  that  I  dreaded 
either  being  wounded  or  killed,  for  I  was  unfeeling,  and  my  heart 
was  hardened.  But,  sir,  my  Bible  frightened  me.  I  had  laid  it  aside 
in  a  closet,  and  to  this  closet  I  went  to  seek  the  sword  with  which  I 
intended  to  meet  my  opponent.  I  opened  the  closet :  it  was  nearly 
midnight.  I  climbed  a  chair,  and  reached  to  the  highest  shelf,  feel- 
ing for  mj  sword,  when  I  laid  my  hand  on  my  Bible.  A  sudden 
chill  ran  through  my  veins,  and,  without  any  time  for  deliberation, 
I  took  the  book,  opened  it,  and,  still  standing  on  the  chair,  I  read 
the  tenth  Psalm,  which  was  the  first  passage  on  which  my  eyes 
rested.  Thus,  sir,  the  voice  of  the  Lord  once  more  resounded 
through  the  dark  recesses  of  my  soul.  I  read  with  breathless  eager- 
ness, and  still  I  went  on  reading,  though  my  uneasiness  increased, 
till  I  came  to  this  verse  :  *  Wherefore  doth  the  wicked  contemn 
God  ?     He  hath  said  in  his  heart,  Thou  wilt  not  require  it.' 

"  I  felt  confounded,  and  throwing  myself  prostrate  on  the  floor 
of  my  room,  I  sobbed  aloud  and  groaned,  praying  for  pardon  from 
God  for  the  sake  of  Jesus.  I  dared  not  rise  ;  I  was  afraid  even  to 
look  up.  I  felt  that  the  eye  of  God  was  upon  me,  and  my  sorrow  is 
not  to  be  described.  The  tortured  criminal  does  not  suffer  what  I 
then  felt ;  and  about  an  hour  passed  away,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  I  felt  somewhat  more  calm,  and  sat  down,  still  holding  my 
Bible  in  my  hand.  God  had  thus  rescued  me.  The  prayers  of  my 
poor  mother  were  heard,  and  my  sinful  soul  was  restored  to  the  nar- 
row way  of  life,  which,  indeed,  I  had  never  totally  forgotten,  though 
I  had  in  so  great  a  degree  trodden  under  foot  the  truths  I  had 
learned,  seeking  to  crush  them  as  I  should  a  serpent. 

"  What  followed  ?  My  duel  was  a  painful  subject,  and  I  resolved 
to  give  it  up.  But  this  was  not  all  ;  I  was  filled  with  sympathy  for 
him  whom  I  had  regarded  as  my  adversary,  and  I  longed  to  make 
this  known  to  him,  and  also  to  those  who  were  to  have  been  the  wit- 
nesses of  our  crime.  The  day  began  to  dawn,  and  the  hour  for  our 
meeting  arrived.  My  companions  came  to  seek  me  ;  but  I  had  gone 
on  first,  and  hastened  to  the  wood  which  had  been  the  place  chosen 


AND    FvEVIVAL    INCIDENTS.  217 

for  the  duel.  I  reached  it  first,  and  felt  that  the  Lord  was  gra- 
ciously present  with  me.  My  adversary,  accompanied  by  his  second 
and  mine,  arrived  there,  and,  perceiving  me,  he  cried  out,  '  Here  I 
am  ;  make  ready  !'     I  answered,  seriously,  but  with  much  feeUcg, 

*  I  am  ready,  in  the  presence  of  God,  to  ask  pardon  of  you,  if  I  have 
offended  you,  and  to  forgive  you  any  wrong  you  may  have  done  to 
me.'     *  Coward  !  scoundrel  !'  he  exclaimed  ;  *  this  is  your  meanness  !' 

*  You  need  not  insult  me,'  I  ad  ded  ;  '  I  speak  in  the  presence  of  God 
who  sees  us  both.  He  has  humbled  me  and  touched  my  heart, 
and  I  repent,  and  acknowledge  my  folly  before  Him,  and  entreat 
you  also  to  fear  Him,  and  no  longer  reject  His  mercy.' 

"  Thus,  sir,"  said  the  narrator  to  Dr.  Malan,  "  God  prevailed. 
The  contest  was  dropped,  and  I  returned  to  the  town,  urging  my 
companions  no  longer  to  live  in  rebellion  against  God.  I  know  not 
if  they  yielded  to  my  entreaties,  for  I  left  the  town  shortly  after- 
wards, and  had  no  further  intercourse  with  them.  But  I  cannot 
describe  the  joy  of  my  pious  mother,  w^hen  she  saw  me  to  be  such  as 
she  desired,  and  felt  that  the  infinite  love  and  mercy  of  the  Lord 
had  been  manifested  towards  me." 

The  Infidel  Convinced  by  a  Child. — The  coach  stopped 
at  the  bottom  of  a  steep  ascent.  It  was  a  frosty  morning,  and  a 
few  flakes  of  snow  had  fallen.  While  we  waited  to  rest  the  horses, 
the  door  of  a  cottage  by  the  roadside  opened,  and  three  children 
came  out.  The  oldest  was  a  girl  about  twelve  years  old,  another 
girl  between  six  and  seven,  and  a  smiling,  chubby-faced  boy  about 
four,  followed  her. 

The  eldest  held  a  long  hazel  wand,  at  the  end  of  which  was  fixed 
a  nosegay  of  winter  flowers,  neatly  tied  up,  to  the  window  of  the 
coach, 

I  was  pleased  with  this  little  mark  of  industry,  and  putting  six- 
pence into  a  cleft  at  the  end  of  the  wand,  I  took  the  nosegay. 

"A  happy  New- Year  to  the  gentleman,"  cried  the  children. 
"  Well,"  said  I,  "  I  suppose  I  must  give  you  something  for  your 
good  wishes,"  and  I  threw  them  another  sixpence. 

The  children  exclaimed,  "  A  happy  New- Year,  sir  ;  may  you  live 
many  happy  years." 

10 


218  EEMAKKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

"  How  many  ?"  said  I.  "  Oh,  a  great  many,  sir  :  as  many  as  yon 
can." 

"  Thank  you,  my  dear  ;  but  how  many  years  do  you  suppose  I 
shall  live  in  this  world  ?" 

''Ah,  sir,  how  can  I  tell!"  said  the  girl.     ''  Who  can  tell  ?"  asked  I. 

This  question  appeared  to  puzzle  her  ;  our  conversation  attracted 
the  attention  of  my  fellow-travellers,  even  of  the  infidel ;  while  the 
driver  and  the  guard  also  seemed  to  listen  ;  but  no  one  replied. 

I  repeated,  "  Who  can  tell  how  many  years  longer  I  shall  live  ?" 

The  two  sisters  said  nothing,  but  the  little  boy,  clasping  his  hands 
together,  looked  up  at  me,  and  said,  "  Sir,  nobody  but  Gon  knows 
that." 

We  continued  silent  for  some  time  ;  at  length  he,  who  the  day 
before  had  laughed  at  the  Bible,  and  had  dared  to  deny  that  there 
was  a  God,  said,  in  a  humble  tone  of  voice,  *•  Sir,  last  night  you 
told  the  colonel,  that  you  would  read  to  him  some  passages  from  the 
Bible  ;  these  gentlemen  and  I  would  be  glad  to  hear  you." 

The  colonel  looked  at  me  with  pleasure,  the  tears  stood  in  his 
eyes  ;  I  could  not  restrain  my  emotion,  but  said,  "  Is  it  possible  that 
God  should  have  caused  you  to  listen  to  his  voice,  from  the  mouth 
of  that  little  child  ?"  "  What  the  child  said  certainly  made  a  sin- 
gular impression  on  me,"  replied  he.  ''I  will  confess  that,  during 
the  last  hour,  I  have  felt  differently  upon  this  subject  from  what  I 
have  ever  done  before  ;  but,  sir,  I  do  not  wish  to  recall  what  passed 
yesterday  evening  ;  I  entreat  that  you  also  will  try  to  forget  it." 

The  colonel  turned  towards  him,  and  took  his  hand,  saying,  "  We 
deeply  rejoice  to  hear  what  you  have  just  said.  It  is  of  God,  and  it 
is,  I  trust,  the  beginning  of  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  your 
heart."  "  Kead  to  us,  sir,"  added  he,  addressing  himself  to  me, 
"  read  to  us  the  word  of  life  ;  and  may  God  bless  it  to  all  our 
hearts." 

The  morning  vi^as  spent  in  this  pleasant  employment,  and  we  were 
much  gratified  by  the  earnest  inquiries  of  our  companion.  Several 
times  he  appeared  struck  to  the  heart,  by  that  word  which  the  Holy 
Spirit  has  compared  to  "a  two-edged  sword."  (Heb.  iv.  12.)  At 
other  times  he  brought  forward  objections,  which  were  easily 
removed  by  the  word  of  truth.     I  need  not  attempt  to  express  how 


AKD  EEYIVAL   INCroENTS.  219 

much  we  rejoiced  at  having  reason  to  hope  that  God  had  touched 
that  heart,  which  but  a  few  hours  before  was  in  open  rebellion 
against  him. 

At  the  inn  where  we  stopped,  our  companion  listened  with  atten- 
tion, and  more  than  once  referred  to  what  had  passed  in  the  boat 
and  in  the  coach,  and  especially  to  the  children  of  the  cottage. 
This  gave  the  colonel  and  myself  an  opportunity  to  observe  that 
God  hath  chosen  the  weak  things  of  the  world  to  confound  the 
things  which  are  mighty. 

"  It  is  true,"  said  our  companion.  "  Yes.  I  feel  that  it  is  true  : 
for  I  must  confess,  that  when  you  asked  the  girl  that  question,  I 
guessed  the  answer  which  you  wished  her  to  give,  and  I  resolved  to 
ridicule  it  ;  but  when  she  did  not  reply,  and  after  a  long  pause,  the 
little  boy  so  simply  declared  the  name  of  God,  it  struck  me  to  the 
heart,  and  I  had  not  a  word  to  say  ;  I  could  almost  suppose  that 
his  eyes  were  upon  me  ;  I  shall  never  forget  that  moment  ;  I  was 
struck  dumb," 

He  then  rose  from  the  table,  and  left  the  room  ;  but  soon  returned 
with  the  two  volumes  which  he  had  offered  to  read  while  we  were  in 
the  boat. 

"  Here,  sir,"  said  he,  "  are  the  vile  books,  which  for  several  years 
past  have  strengthened  me  in  unbelief  and  blasphemy.  May  God, 
who  now  beholds  me,  and  in  whose  presence  I  now  stand,  consume 
the  evils  they  have  nourished  within  my  heart,  as  this  fire  consumes 
their  wretched  pages,  and  the  blasphemies  they  contain." 

He  cast  the  volumes  into  the  fire,  and  looked  on  in  silence  till 
they  were  burnt  to  ashes.  "  Now,"  said  he,  "  I  am  relieved  of  part 
of  my  burden  ;  those  volumes  can  do  no  more  harm  ;  and  may  my 
right  hand  be  cut  off,  rather  than  I  be  permitted  again  to  open 
others  like  them.  May  God,"  added  he,  pointing  to  my  Bible, 
"  May  God  teach  me  and  write  upon  my  heart  the  truths  con- 
tained in  that  precious  book,  which  has  this  day  shed  a  ray  of  light 
into  my  soul." 

Little  Hannah's  Prayer  Heard,  and  Overheard. - 

One  Sabbath  evenings  John  Price,  after  drinking  and  gambhng  all 
day,  and  having  lost  the  earnings  of  the  week,  turned  from  his  com- 


220  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

panions,  and  scarcely  knowing  what  he  did,  took  the  road  home- 
wards. One  of  them  called  on  him  to  return  ;  entreated  him 
to  have  one  more  game,  and  added,  "  You  will  be  sure  to  win  it  all 
back,  you  know." 

He  stopped— "  Why,  if  I  could  get  it  back,"  said  he  to  him- 
self. "  Come,  come,"  said  his  companion,  "  one  more  game,  only 
one." 

"No,"  said  Price,  ''  IVe*lost  all  my  money,  and  so  I  can't,  if  I 
would."  But  at  that  moment  it  occurred  to  him  that  his  quarter's 
rent,  except  what  was  to  be  made  up  out  of  his  last  week's  work, 
had  been  put  up  in  a  cupboard  in  the  kitchen  at  home  ;  and  if  he 
could  get  that,  he  should  be  sure  to  win  back  all  he  had  lost.  The 
money  was  to  be  paid  the  next  day  ;  and  hardened  as  he  was, 
he  trembled  at  what  he  was  going  to  do,  and  was  terrified  lest  his 
wife  and  children  should  see  him. 

He  approached  the  house,  then  ventured  to  look  in  at  the  window, 
and  perceiving  no  one,  he  entered  the  kitchen,  and  went  hastily 
to  the  cupboard.  It  was  locked  :  and  he  felt  a  momentary  relief  in 
the  thought  that  he  could  not  get  the  money.  But  again  he  said  to 
himself,  "  I  shall  be  sure  to  win ;"  and  hastened  softly  up  stairs 
to  look  for  the  key,  thinking  he  knew  where  his  wife  had  put  it. 
As  he  passed  the  room  in  which  his  children  slept,  he  thought 
he  heard  a  slight  noise  ;  and  listening,  he  heard  sobs,  and  then 
a  voice.  It  was  poor  little  Hannah,  praying  that  her  father  might 
see  the  error  of  his  ways  ;  that  God  would  change  his  heart,  and 
make  him  a  comfort  to  her  mother,  and  to  them  all.  Her  sighs  and 
tears  seemed  almost  to  impede  her  utterance  ;  and  when  he  heard 
her  call  him  her  dear  father,  and  felt  how  ill  he  had  deserved  such  a 
name,  he  could  scarcely  forbear  groaning  aloud,  in  the  anguish 
of  his  feelings.  He  forgot  the  key,  crept  to  his  bedroom,  and  fell 
on  his  knees.  He  uttered  not  one  word,  but  the  language  of  the 
heart  is  audible  in  the  ears  of  mercy  ;  and  that  evening,  for  the  first 
time,  it  might  have  been  said  of  him,  ''  Behold,  he  prayeth." 

After  some  time  he  went  down  stairs,  where  Hannah  was  rocking 
her  little  sister  to  sleep.  She  started  with  astonishment.  For  many 
months,  and  even  for  years,  she  did  not  remember  seeing  her  father 
at  home  on  a  Sabbath  evening.     He  went  to  the  children  and  kissed 


AXD   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  221 

them  both.     This  was  a  mark  of  affection  they  did  not  often  receive, 
and  Hannah  was  as  much  pleased  as  she  was  surprised. 

"  Dear  father,"  she  said,  "  mother  will  be  so  glad  to  see  you 
at  home,  and  we  shall  be  so  comfortable.  You  will  not  go  out  again 
to-night,  will  you,  father  V 

"  No,  dear,"  he  replied.  And  as  she  went  to  lay  the  babe  on  the 
bed,  he  heard  her  say  to  herself,  "  Father  called  me  dear." 

The  return  of  his  wife  and  boys  from  public  worship,  Price 
had  been  dreading.  He  knew  not  how  to  endure  their  looks  of 
amazement  :  but  it  was  soon  over.  The  children  at  first  looked 
fearfully  at  each  other,  as  though  their  usual  Sabbath  evening's 
pleasure  was  over  ;  for  they  always  sat  up  later,  and  told  their 
mother  all  that  had  happened  at  the  Sabbath-school,  and  what  they 
could  remember  of  the  sermons  they  had  heard  during  the  day. 
Hannah  had  prepared  supper,  and  there  was  a  nice  fire  and  a  clean 
hearth.  Price  felt  at  that  moment,  that  if  his  own  character  were 
what  it  ought  to  be,  he  should  indeed  be  happy. 

"  Father,"  said  Hannah,  as  she  entered  the  room,  "  here  is  a  nice 
new-laid  egg.     It  is  my  own,  and  you  shall  have  it,  father." 

Price  could  not  speak,  but  he  kissed  his  child,  and  he  saw  the 
tears  in  her  eyes.  He  thought  it  was  the  nicest  egg  he  had  ever 
tasted.  When  supper  was  over,  Hannah  said,  "Father,  you  have 
not  heard  me  read  for  a  long  time." 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  will  you  read  something  to  me  out  of  your 
reward  book  at  the  Sabbath-school  ?"  He  knew  that  this  was 
the  Bible,  but  had  not  courage  to  say  so. 

Hannah  was  almost  perplexed.  She  looked  first  at  her  father, 
and  then  at  her  mother.  Two  hours  ago,  the  sight  of  a  Bible  in  her 
hands  would  have  insured  oaths  which  she  shuddered  to  hear. 

"  Come,  dear,"  said  her  father,  "  why  don't  you  fetch  it  ?" 

Hannah  obeyed,  though  not  without  trembling.  She  read  the 
51st  Psalm.  Price  hid  his  face  and  wept.  The  first  part  seemed 
made  on  purpose  for  him.  He  restrained  his  feelings  sufficiently  to 
say,  "  Thank  you,  dear,  you  are  very  much  improved.  Eead  some-*" 
thing  else." 

She  turned  to  the  103d  Psalm.  "  Surely  God  made  her  choose 
those  two,"  thought  Price.     His  wife  beheld  with  astonishment  the 


222  EEMARKAELE   CONVERSIONS 

conduct  of  her  husband,  and  the  emotions  which  appeared  to  agitate 
him. 

"  Hannah,  my  dear,"  said  she,  "  you  had  better  be  taking  tlie 
boys  to  bed."  Their  mother  kissed  them,  and  told  them  they  had 
been  good  boys  ;  and  then  they  turned  to  Hannah,  as  if  to  ask 
if  they  should  go  to  their  father.  "  Come,  dears,"  said  she,  "  wish 
father  good-night."     He  kissed  them,  and  they  left  the  room. 

"  You'll  have  some  additional  refreshment,  John  ?"  said  his  wife. 
''  You've  had  no  beer  to-night." 

"  Oh,"  said  he,  "  I  hope  I  shall  never  taste  beer  again." 

With  unutterable  joy  she  started  from  her  seat,  and  throwing  her 
arms  around  his  neck,  burst  into  tears.  For  some  minutes  they 
wept  together.  Price  tried  to  speak,  but  could  not.  At  length 
recovering  some  degree  of  composure,  he  seated  himself  beside  her, 
and  hiding  his  face,  told  her  all  the  occurrences  of  the  evening. 

''  Can  you  ever  forgive  such  a  wretch  ?"  said  he  :  "  Oh,  Hannah, 
can  you  ?" 

"  Forgive  you  I  my  dear  husband,"  she  replied  ;  *'  I  never  loved 
you  half  so  well,  nor  ever  was  half  so  happy  before.  Don't  ask  me 
to  forgive  you  ;  ask  God  to  forgive  you,  and  he  will."  And  then 
she  talked  to  him  of  the  infinite  mercy  of  God,  through  Jesus  Christ, 
and  again  begged  him  not  to  ask  pardon  of  her,  but  of  Him. 

"  I  have,  I  have,"  said  he  ;  "  but  till  I  heard  what  our  dear  child 
read,  I  did^  not  think  he  could  ever  forgive  such  a  wicked  sinner  as 
I  am." 

"  It  is  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Jesus 
Christ  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners,  even  the  chief"  said 
his  wife. 

"  Does  the  Bible  say  all  that  ?  Does  it  say  the  chief?"  he  asked. 
"  Indeed  it  does,"  she  answered.  ''  Then  that  must  mean  me," 
said  he. 

"  Let  us  kneel  down  together,  my  dear  John,"  said  his  wife, 
"and  ask  God  to  fulfill  his  promise  to  you."  "I  cannot  pray,'^ 
said  he. 

She  took  his  hand,  and  made  him  kneel  down  beside  her  ;  and  in 
the  language  of  faith  and  affection,  she  commended  him  to  the 
mercy  of  that  God  who  had  long  been  her  Father  and  Friend. 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  223 

After  thus  engaging  in  prayer,  the  mind  of  her  husband  became 
more  composed  ;  and  he  expressed  the  hope  that  he  should  never 
lose  the  remembrance  of  this  evening. 

The  change  was  as  permanent  as  it  had  been  remarkable.  From 
this  time  his  old  companions  were  forsaken,  and  the  ale-house 
abandoned.  To  the  former  he  only  spoke,  to  entreat  them  to  tura 
from  their  wickeduess  ;  and  the  latter  he  never  entered  but  once, 
and  then  it  was  with  his  wife,  to  pay  the  landlord  a  debt  he  had 
contracted,  for  some  windows  broken  in  an  affray  with  one  of  his 
depraved  associates  in  a  state  of  intoxication. 

Influence  of  Tracts  upon  the  Profane. — At  the  time 
of  a  revival  of  religion  in  a  village  in  Vermont,  a  young  man  had 
become  so  profane  that  he  would  spend  the  silence  of  the  night  to 
invent  blasphemies  more  horrid  than  he  had  heard  or  before  con- 
ceived, and  committing  them  to  memory,  would  repeat  them  next  the 
day  in  the  presence  of  those  who  were  laboring  under  the  weight  of 
conscious  guilt.  His  father,  one  day  addressing  his  son,  said,  "Here 
are  some  Tracts  for  you  ;  I  wish  you  would  read  them."  The  son 
replied,  with  an  oath  too  shocking  to  repeat,  "  you  may  read  them 
yourself."  But  passing  the  table  on  which  they  were  placed,  the  title 
"  Swearer^s  Prayer  ^^  caught  his  eye,  and  thinking  it  would  help  him 
to  be  still  more  profane,  he  read  it,  and  addressing  his  mother,  said, 
"  Mother,  do  you  believe  that  tract  to  be  true  ?"  "  No  doubt  that 
he  who  wrote  it,  had  reason  to  believe  every  word  of  it  true,"  was 
the  reply.  "  Then,"  said  he,  "  I  shall  never  swear  again."  He  has 
since  been  received  to  the  bosom  of  the  church,  as  is  beheved,  a 
humble  and  penitent  Christian. 

Tract  blessed  to  a  fashionable  Lady,— The  following 
circumstance  occurred  in  the  city  of  New  York,  under  the  immedi- 
ate observation  of  the  writer.  A  lady  who  shared  in  all  the  enjoy- 
ments which  wealth  and  fashionable  life  can  afford,  but  who  neglected 
the  "  one  thing  needful,"  and  seldom  or  never  attended  a  place  of 
worship,  had  a  pious  servant.  This  poor  girl  commiserated  the 
condition  of  her  mistress,  though  surrounded  with  elegance  and 
splendor,  and  one  evening  deposited  on  her  dressing-table  the  Tract 


224  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

entitled  "  The  End  of  ThmP  The  lover  of  pleasure  retired  to 
array  herself  for  the  theatre — the  Tract  arrested  her  attention — s"he 
read,  and  conviction  visited  her  heart.  She  immediately  renounced 
the  gay  world,  and  now  consecrates  her  wealth,  talents,  and  influence, 
to  the  cause  of  God.  She  has  for  several  years  devoted  regular 
portions  of  her  time  to  visiting  the  families  of  her  district  and  dis- 
tributing Tracts,  and  has  often  been  heard  to  declare,  that  one  day, 
thus  spent,  is  productive  of  more  true  enjoyment  than  a  whole  life 
of  fashionable  pleasure.  . 

One  Thousand  Tracts. — An  Agent  in  New  York  says,  a 

young  man  in  L ,  being  about  to  remove  to  Alleghany  county, 

called  at  the  Depository  in  Utica,  and  obtained  about  one  thousand 
Tracts.  These  he  caused  to  be  faithfully  distributed  in  the  town 
where  he  had  fixed  his  abode.  Their  distribution  was  soon  followed 
by  a  general  revival  of  religion.  Between  fifty  and  sixty  professed 
converts  to  Jesus  Christ  were  the  fruits  of  this  revival  ;  and  ntarly 
thirty  of  them  traced  their  first  serious  impressions  to  the  Tracts  which 
had  been  put  into  their  haiids. 

A  Bigot  Converted  "without  Argument. —Anthony 
Rollo  was  a  young  half-bred  Indian,  employed  at  the  Baptist  mission 
at  Gary,  Michigan,  but  in  consequence  of  his  jealous  attachment  to 
the  religion  in  which  he  had  been  brought  up,  was  not  interfered 
with  on  religious  subjects.  But  at  a  season  of  religious  interest,  he 
informed  one  of  the  missionaries  that  he  was  in  great  distress.  He 
said  he  knew  his  soul  would  be  lost.  He  was  asked  how  he  knew  it  ? 
He  replied,  he  was  confident  that  he  could  not  be  saved  out  of  the 
Gatholic  church.  In  this  place  there  was  no  priest.  He  had  lost 
his  goodness,  and  he  could  not  recover  it  without  the  aid  of  a  priest. 
He  was  directed  to  apply  for  the  forgiveness  of  his  sins  to  the  Lord 
Jesus  Ghrist,  and  exhorted  to  read  the  Bible.  He  replied  that  he 
was  forbidden  by  his  religious  instructors  to  read  the  Bible,  and  if 
this  were  not  the  case,  our  Bible  was  not  the  same  as  theirs,  and  he 
was  averse  to  reading  it. 

On  the  same  day,  he  seated  himself  beside  another  of  the  mission- 
aries, who  was  at  his  writing-table,  exhibiting  signs  of  great  distress, 


AND   KEVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  225 

and  the  same  strong  attachment  to  his  Catholic  superstitions.  He 
saw,  he  said,  others  happy  in  th<j  enjoyment  of  their  religion,  while 
he  could  find  no  satisfaction  in  his,  though  he  hicw  his  was  right. 
He  had  been  good,  but  he  had  lost  it  all,  and  knew  that,  should  he 
die,  he  would  go  to  destruction.  Formerly,  at  times,  he  had  been 
troubled  about  these  things,  and  he  always  found  relief  by  praying  ; 
but  now  his  prayers  afforded  him  no  relief.  "  But,"  added  he,  "  I 
have  determined  that  I  Tiever  will  change  my  religion — no  change 
shall  ever  take  place  icith  me"  He  wept  freely,  and  appeared  almost 
distracted.  He  was  evidently  anxious  to  hear  religious  conversation, 
yet  listened  with  fear  lest  he  should  hear  something  that  would  dis- 
close an  error,  in  what  he  termed  "  his  religion." 

In  the  latter  part  of  December,  he  was  induced  to  read  a  little  in 
the  Bible,  being  told,  that  if  he  found  anything  therein  which  would 
satisfy  him  that  he  ought  not  to  read  it,  to  lay  it  by.  He  com- 
menced by  reading  a  few  verses  at  a  time  ;  in  doing  which,  he  some- 
times fancied  he  added  sin  to  sin.  Yet  he  could  not  forbear.  In  a 
short  time  he  was  constrained  to  admit  that  he  found  nothing  which 
he  ought  not  to  read. 

About  the  1st  of  January,  1825,  he  had,  by  his  proficiency  in 
school,  merited  a  book.  A  New  Testament  was  offered  him,  which 
he  accepted  with  apparent  pleasure.  And  about  this  time  he 
became  a  constant  reader  of  the  Scriptures.  He  often  expressed  a 
great  desire  to  see  a  Catholic  priest,  that  he  might  inquire  of  him 
why  they  forbade  the  people  to  read  the  Scriptures.  He  said  he 
had  himself  been  taught  to  believe,  that  if  he  read  the  Bible,  it 
would  certainly  ruin  his  soul.  His  Bible  now  became  not  only  his 
school-book,  but  his  constant  companion. 

His  distress  of  mind  did  not  abate.  He  refused  to  be  comforted^ 
He  said  everything  condemned  him — our  Bible  condemned  him,  and 
he  knew  he  would  be  lost — he  had  no  hope.  Said  he,  "  I  am  in 
greater  trouble  than  any  one  knows  of  beside  myself.  Sleep  has,  in 
a  manner,  left  me.  Some  nights  I  sleep  none,  and  when  I  do  sleep. 
I  often  awake  in  terror  not  to  be  described." 

But  on  the  evening  of  the  16th  of  January,  Anthony  desired  an 
interview  with  some  of  the  missionaries,  and  gave  them  reason  to 
believe  that  he  exercised  genuine  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 

10* 


226  EEMAEKABLE   CONVEKSIONS 

On  the  1st  of  April  following,  lie  came  before  the  church  and 
congregation,  and  gave  a  satisfactory  account  of  a  work  of  grace 
upon  his  heart,  and  was  unanimously  received  as  a  candidate  for 
baptism.  To  one  of  the  missionaries  he  said,  "  Christ  is  precious, 
and  the  Bible  is  the  best  of  books.  Oh,  that  every  person  had  it, 
and  would  read  it !"  On  his  expressing  a  great  desire,  one  day,  to 
see  a  priest,  he  was  asked  if  he  thought  a  priest  could  help  him  ? 
"  No,  no,"  was  his  reply,  "  if  Christ  does  not  help  me,  none  else  can. 
But  I  should  like  to  ask  a  priest  why  he  forbade  me  to  read  the 
Bible,  that  book,  in  the  reading  of  which  I  find  so  much  plea- 
sure ?" 

Summary  Method  with  an  Infidel. — A  Christian  lady 
(a  Baptist  pastor  relates)  lay  apparently  dying.  Her  friends  were 
weeping,  and  I  addressed  to  one  of  them,  a  sister,  some  words  of. 
comfort  concerning  the  blessed  state  and  prospects  of  her  who  was 
about  to  leave  them. 

With  some  effort  she  repressed  her  sobs,  and  said,  "  I  know  that 
M (her  sister's  name)  is  safe  ;  but  I  was  thinking  of  my  bro- 
ther.    Oh,  he  does  not  believe  the  Bible  I" 

"  Not  believe  the  Bible  !"  said  I,  looking  him  full  in  the  face;  ''is 
that  so  ?"  He  seemed  disconcerted,  and  said,  "  This  is  no  place  to 
talk  of  that."  But,  moving  my  chair  so  as  to  place  myself  directly 
in  front  of  him,  I  said,  "  This  is,  of  all  others,  the  very  place.  Your 
sister  is  now  dying,  and  she  is  reposing  her  hopes  for  Eternity  upon 
the  truth  of  that  blessed  book  " — pointing  to  a  Bible  which  was 
lying  upon  a  table  near.  "  Surely  we  can  talk  as  we  ought  under 
such  solemn  circumstances,  and  now,  if  ever,  the  subject  will  be 
interesting  to  you.''  He  looked  at  me,  and  then,  reaching  out  his 
hand,  he  took  up  the  holy  volume,  and  fixing  his  eyes  steadily  upon 
me,  said,  "  How  can  I  believe  a  book  with  so  many  contradictions  in 
it  as  this  ?"  For  a  moment  I  hesitated,  but  raising  my  heart  in 
prayer,  I  asked  the  Lord  to  guide  me,  and  follov/ing  the  impulse  of 
the  moment,  I  put  out  my  hand,  and  somewhat  hastily  drew  it  from 
him,  saying  as  I  did  so,  ''  What  have  you  to  do  with  that  book  ?  or 
what  right  have  you  to  pass  judgment  upon  it  ?" 

"  Why,"  said  he,  "is  it  not  given  to  all  men  to  read  and  judge 


AND   liEVIV^VL   mCIDENTS.  227 

for  themselves  ?"  "  Sir,"  said  I,  "  it  is  given  to  God's  people  to  be 
their  chart  while  travelling  through  this  wildcniess,  and  to  teach 
them  what  to  say  to  such  men  as  you."  A  meaning  smile  appeared 
upon  his  features  as  he  replied — 

"  Oh,  this  is  the  first  I  have  heard  of  it."  "  Well,"  said  I,  '•  trea- 
sure it  in  your  memory,  for  it  is  very  important.  Too  many  presume 
to  pass  judgment  upon  what  they  do  not  understand  ;  but  let  me 
speak  with  you  about  something  which  you  do  understand.  I 
charge  you  here,  and  now,  under  these  sad  and  impressive  circum- 
stances, with  being  a  sinner  against  a  good  and  holy  Being  who  has 
created  you,  and  kept  you  alive,  in  the  midst  of  your  wicked  rebel- 
lion, for  many  years,  and  who  is  still  exercising  towards  you  the 
most  amazing  mercy  I"  He  gazed  intently  upon  my  face.  I  saw 
by  the  serious  aspect  his  countenance  was  assuming  that  his  con- 
science was  at  work.  At  last,  in  a  solemn  and  subdued  tone,  he 
said,  "  I  do  not  deny  the  charge."  I  went  on  :  "  But  I  charge  you 
with  doing  all  this  against  light  and  knowledge,  whatever  may  be 
your  view  of  the  Bible.  You  know  that  your  course  is  wrong,  and 
yet,  with  this  knowledge,  and  in  open  violation  of  your  own  con- 
science, you  joersist  in  doing  what  you  know  that  Being  who  has 
made  you,  and  who  has  ever  been  merciful  to  you,  condemns." 
Again  he  said,  in  deepening  tones,  "  I  do  not  deny  it."  ''  Do  you," 
said  I,  "  acknowledge  yourself  to  be  a  sinner  against  this  good 
Being,  in  open  violation  of  light  and  knowledge  which  he  has 
imparted  to  your  own  soul  ?"  "I  do,"  said  he.  "  Here,  then,"  said 
I,  ''  take  this  book  ;  it  speaks  to  just  such  persons  as  you  have 
acknowledged  yourself  to  be,  and  if  you  will  find  me  anything  in  it 
affecting  these  points,  which  is  inconsistent  with  what  you  know  to  be 
true,  or  which,  even  in  your  own  judgment,  will  warrant  you  in  con- 
tinuing in  your  present  course,  I  will  consent  to  your  rejecting  it. 
But  let  this  one  all-important  matter  be  settled  first  ;  after  that  we 
may  look  at  the  contradictions  of  which  you  complain." 

We  parted.  His  sister  did  not  die.  He  visited  me  in  my  study 
several  times,  and  I  met  him  at  his  own  house,  and  conversed  about 
the  great  question.  He  removed  from  the  city,  and  was  absent  for 
more  than  a  year ;  but  during  all  that  time  we  corresponded,  and 
some  two  years  after  the  events  above  related  I  baptized  him.     He 


228  EEMARKABLE    CONVERSIONS 

is  now  a  member  of  my  clmrcb,  and  gives  evidence  of  having  indeed 
passed  from  death  unto  hfe. 

Thomas  Hamitah  Patoo. — Patoo,  a  native  of  the  Mar- 
quesas Islands,  had  reached  the  age  of  about  fourteen,  when, 
attracted  by  ships  which  occasionally  touched  at  his  native  islands, 
he  resolved  to  visit  America  ;  and,  to  secure  his  purpose,  jumped  on 
board  a  ship  with  her  sails  spread,  just  in  time  to  see  his  afflicted 
father  reluctantly  wave  his  handkerchief  as  a  signal  of  farewell. 
He  arrived  at  Boston,  and  after  a  varied  life  of  two  or  three  years, 
and  many  sufferings  occasioned  by  his  o\ati  folly,  was  taken  under 
the  charge  of  Mr.  D.  H.,  a  benevolent  gentleman,  who,  in  May,  1822, 
placed  him  in  a  pious  family  in  Coventry,  commending  him  to  "  the 
prayers  and  Christian  kindness  of  the  pastor  and  the  whole 
church." 

"At  a  prayer-meeting  at  sunrise,  in  the  autumn  of  1822,"  says  the 
narrative  of  Harlan  Page,  "  it  was  observed  that  Thomas  was  much 
affected  and  wept  bitterly.  He  was  made  a  subject  of  special 
prayer,  and  his  conversation,  at  the  close  of  the  meeting,  evidently 
showed  that  he  was  under  the  strivings  of  the  Holy  Spirit."  These 
impressions  were  deepened  by  the  clear  exhibition  of  truth  at  succes- 
sive meetings,  and  its  faithful  personal  application  to  himself  in 
private  conversation.  His  distress  was  such  one  day,  that  he  left 
home  in  the  rain,  first  to  find  his  Christian  friend,  and  then  to  visit 
his  pastor  to  obtain  some  relief.  Truth  presented  took  hold  of  his 
mind,  but  he  rebelled  against  God,  murmured  at  the  conversion  of  a 
young  acquaintance,  and  returned  to  spend  a  sleepless  night  in  view 
of  his  hopeless  condition.  On  the  day  following,  his  anxiety  con- 
tinued unabated  ;  his  distress  was  such  that  he  could  not  attend  to 
the  business  assigned  him  ;  most  of  the  day  was  spent  in  agonizing 
prayer  ;  till  at  length  the  Saviour  appeared  for  him,  his  burdened 
conscience  was  relieved,  and  he  found  peace  in  believing.  His  own 
narrative  of  the  way  in  which  he  was  led,  expressed  in  his  broken 
idiom,  is  a  delightful  exemplification  of  the  power  and  excellency  of 
true  religion. 

*^  Question.  Thomas,  what  was  the  state  of  your  mind  after  the 
commencement  of  the  revival  in  Coventry  ? 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  229 

"Answer.  Christians  talk  to  me  a  great  deal  about  my  bad  heart. 
Me  think  my  heart  good  enougli. 

"Q.  Did  you  then  endeavor  to  pray  ? 

"A.  Mrs.  T.  teach  me  to  say  Lord's  prayer.  I  think  me  got  no 
mother,  no  father/  no  sister,  no  brother,  here  ;  and  Mrs.  T.  good  to 
me,  so  I  do  as  she  tell  me.  Then  I  kneel  down  before  I  go  to  bed, 
and  say  prayer. 

"Q.  Did  you  occasionally  omit  this  duty  ? 

"A.  Sometimes.  Then  Deacon  T.  say  you  must  say  your  prayers, 
Thomas,  every  night.     Then  me  go  pray,  mad. 

"Q.  Had  you  any  different  feelings  at  the  morning  prayer-meeting 
at  which  you  wept  ? 

"A.  Then  me  feel  heavy;  feel  afraid  to  die  ;  feel  sorry  for  my 
sin.  Me  try  to  pray  '  Our  Father.'  Me  go  home,  think  what  min- 
ister say,  then  I  pray.     Next  day  forget  it  all — then  feel  light. 

"Q.  When  you  went  to  the  inquiry-meetings  how  did  you  feel  ? 

"A.  I  feel  good  some  ;  then  I  feel  heavy  again.  When  minister 
say  all  about  poor  sinner,  then  I  feel  sorry. 

"Q.  What  were  your  feelings  at  the  meeting  for  inquiry  on  Sab- 
bath evening  ? 

"A.  Heart  feel  hard.  Somebody  tell  me  J.  B.  got  a  new  heart, 
I  feel  angry. 

"Q.  How  did  you  spend  the  Tuesday  following  ? 

"A.  Me  want  to  see  minister.  I  set  out — go  part  way,  feel  so 
bad  can  go  no  further  ;  then  kneel  down  by  a  great  rock  and  pray. 
Me  say,  0  Lord  have  mercy  on  poor  Thomas,  poor  heathen  ;  give 
him  new  heart — take  away  old  heart — Oh,  give  him  new  heart  now. 
Then  I  go  on.  Go  in  minister's  barn — 'fraid  to  go  in  house  ;  then  I 
pray  again.  Then  look  round  and  say,  God  make  this  hay,  this 
grain,  all  these  things — why  can't  God  make  me  new  heart  ?  Me 
wipe  tears  off  my  cheeks,  but  they  come  again.  Then  go  in  house. 
Mrs.  C.  say,  What  the  matter,  Thomas ;  you  hurt  you  ?  I  so 
'shamed,  me  say,  Oh,  it  rains  out  doors.  Want  to  have  her  think  it 
rain  on  my  face. 

"Q.  What  did  you  say  to  the  minister? 

"A.  Me  say  me  got  that  bad  heart  yet. 

"Q.  Did  you  feel  glad  when  told  that  J.  B.  had  a  new  heart  ? 


230  ke:markable  conversions 

^^A.  No,  sir  ;  me  feel  bad — me  feel  very  heavy  ;  me  want  to 
come  first,  before  anybody  get  in.  When  me  go  away,  hope  me 
come  to  be  like  J.  B. 

"  Q.  How  did  you  feel  that  night  and  the  day  following  ? 

"  A.  That  night  me  feel  heavy — heavy  all  over.  Eyes  all  tears 
— could  no  sleep.  Next  day,  feel  so  all  time.  Afternoon  go  w^ork 
in  barn  with  W.  ;  could  no  work.  Feel  me  want  to  pray.  Tell 
W.  we  kneel  down.  Then  me  say,  0  Lord,  have  mercy  on  poor 
Thomas,  poor  W.  ;  give  us  new  hearts.  Then  me  think  about 
Jesus  Christ,  and  about  Christian  folks.  Me  never  feel  so  before. 
Heavy  all  gone.  Then  me  love  to  pray,  and  say,  Our  Father,  and 
thank  great  God  he  give  J.  B.  a  new  heart.  Then  me  think  me 
feel  to  love  Christ  ;  me  go  up  on  hay  to  find  him — pray  to  him. 
Then  me  think  Christ  everywhere.     Then  come  down. 

''  Q.  What  were  your  feelings  during  the  meeting  in  the  even- 
ing ? 

''  A.  Me  want  to  shake  hands  with  the  minister,  then  feel  to  love 
all  Christians. 

''  Q.  How  do  you  think  you  know  a  Christian  from  an  impeni- 
tent sinner  ? 

"  A.  Christian  shake  hand  hard — his  hand  feel  warm — sinner  no 
shake  hand. 

"  Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  a  new  heart  ? 

"  A,  A  heart  that  feel  to  love  good  thought. 

"  Q.  How  do  you  know  your  heart  to  be  soft  now  ? 

"  A.  Why,  me  no  feel  mad  to  anybody  ;  if  man  strike  me,  no 
want  to  strike  him  back  again." 

He  had  a  great  desire  to  unite  with  the  church  at  the  approach- 
ing communion,  and  when  the  pastor  informed  him,  that  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  his  distant  friend,  it  was  thought  best  that  his  admission 
be  deferred,  he  replied  with  great  feeling,  "  If,  sir,  you  think  best, 
then  me  w^ait  ;  but  may  be  me  die  soon — then  me  never  own  Christ 
before  men." 

He  adorned  the  Christian  character,  loved  the  Bible,  prayed 
much,  especially  for  his  own  relatives  and  countrymen,  for  the 
heathen,  and  the  impenitent  in  Christian  lands  ;  and,  like  the  friend 
who  made  him  the  object  of  his  Christian  love  and  more  than  pater- 


AND   KEVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  231 

nal  regard,  and  wrote  his  history,  he  'put  forth  his  most  ardent  efforts 
to  bring  sinners  to  Christ. 

"  After  our  friend  Thomas  indulged  a  hope,  I  endeavored,"  says  a 
young  lady,  "  to  avoid  him  as  much  as  possible  ;  but  one  day,  after 
conversing  with  my  sister,  and  expressing  much  joy  because  she  had 
got  a  new  heart,  he  turned  to  me  and  said,  '  N.,  why  you  no  give 
up  that  bad  heart  ?  Why  you  no  come  with  C.  and  be  a  Christian  ? 
Me  want  you  be  a  Christian  too  I'  In  order  to  evade  what  he  said, 
and  prevent  his  saying  more,  I  replied,  '  Thomas,  why  did  you 
never  speak  to  me  about  these  things  before  ?  Perhaps,  had  you 
been  as  faithful  in  talking  to  me  as  you  have  been  to  my  sister,  I 
too  should  have  had  a  new  heart.'  With  an  expression  of  deep 
regret,  he  replied,  *  N.,  me  very  sorry  me  no  talk  to  you  before. 
Me  pray  for  you  before,  and  now  me  talk  to  you.'  After  this,  he 
embraced  every  opportunity  of  affectionately  urging  upon  me  imme- 
diate submission  to  Christ. 

"  In  the  height  of  the  revival,  when  a  number  of  Christian  friends 
were  spending  the  day  at  our  house,  feeling  no  disposition  to  be 
with  them,  I  retired  to  another  room,  and  there  stayed  meditating 
on  my  hopeless  condition.  It  was  not  long  before  some  one  rapped 
at  the  door,  and  who  was  it  but  Thomas.  He  immediately  began 
in  the  most  feeling  manner,  to  entreat  me  to  submit  to  Christ  with- 
out delay.  '  Christ  ready  to  receive  you — all  the  good  Christians 
want  you  to  come — angel  in  heaven  ready  to  rejoice  over  you  ;  why 
you  no  come  ?'  After  conversing  in  this  manner  for  some  minutes, 
he  was  silent.  At  length,  looking  at  me  most  expressively,  he  said, 
'  Me  sorry  me  no  talk  to  you  before.  Me  pray  for  you  ;  me  want 
to  pray  with  you.'  We  knelt,  and  Thomas  poured  forth  the  feelings 
of  his  heart  in  language  like  this  :  '  0  mercy.  Father,  have  mercy 
on  us  sinners.  Have  mercy  on  this  friend.  Pray  this  friend  may 
now  give  up  that  bad  heart  to  Christ,  and  not  go  to  hell,'  etc.  It 
was  the  burden  of  his  prayer,  that  I  might  then  submit  to  Christ. 
I  will  leave  others  to  judge  what  were  my  feelings,  to  have  this 
heathen,  who  had  just  learned  there  was  a  God,  on  his  knees  plead- 
ing for  mercy  on  me,  a  stubborn  sinner,  hardened  under  the  meridian 
hght  of  the  gospel." 

One,  now  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  states  : 


232  liEMAEKAELE   CONVERSIOKS 

''  The  first  time  I  saw  Thomas  after  he  thought  he  had  been  boru 
again,  was  on  Sabbath,  December  8,  1822.  I  was  then  groaning 
under  convictions  of  sin — I  felt  myself  lost.  It  seemed  that  there 
was  but  a  step  between  me  and  hell.  I  longed  to  converse  with 
some  one,  but  I  was  too  proud  to  tell  any  one  how  I  felt. 

"  Thus  situated,  Thomas  approached  me,  and  began  to  question 
me  about  my  spiritual  condition.  I  told  him  I  felt  that  there  was 
no  hope  for  me  :  I  had  sinned  against  so  much  light,  and  so  many 
strivings  of  the  Spirit. 

"  He  proceeded  to  urge  me  to  immediate  submission.  '  Why  you 
DO  give  up  that  bad  heart?  It  will  do  you  no  good  to  keep  it. 
It  will  destroy  you  forever.  Give  it  up  7iow  to  Christ.  Christ 
ready  to  give  you  a  new,  a  good  heart.  Me  hope  me  have  given  my 
bad  heart  to  him.  Me  hope  me  have  a  new  one.  Oh,  sir,  do  give 
up  your  bad  heart.' 

"  I  told  him  I  wished  I  could,  but  it  was  so  hard  I  could  not  : 
something  was  in  the  way,  I  did  not  know  what. 

*'  This  excuse  did  not  satisfy  him.  It  only  led  him  to  press  home 
with  more  earnestness  the  duty  of  immediately  giving  up  my  had 
heart  to  Christ. 

"  I  felt  so  distressed,  I  begged  Kim  to  pray  for  me.  This  was  the 
first  time  iu  my  life  that  I  ever  had  made  such  a  request,  and 
the  very  asking  him  to  pray  for  me  deepened  my  impressions.  It 
came  to  my  mind  immediately,  *  What,  must  you,  a  gospel-hardened 
rebel,  call  in  to  your  help  the  prayers  of  a  poor  Marquesan,  who  has 
but  just  been  converted  from  the  worship  of  idols  ?  He  has  just 
now  heard  of  Christ,  and  received  him  as  his  Saviour  ;  you  have 
heard  of  him  for  years,  and  have  been  slighting  his  salvation,  despis- 
ing his  offers  of  mercy,  trampling  on  his  blood,  and  grieving  his 
Spirit.'    These  reflections  were  like  daggers  to  my  soul. 

"  Thomas  promised  to  pray  for  me,  but  left  me  saying,  '  Oh,  sir, 
give  up  that  had  heart  now.'  This  sentence  was  the  most  powerful 
sermon  I  ever  heard  ;  it  contained  the  eloquence  of  the  Spirit  ;  and 
coming  in  the  way  it  did,  with  an  expression  of  the  most  tender  pit^ 
and  concern,  left  an  impression  on  my  mind  which,  I  trust,  will  never 
be  effaced.  I  have  always  considered  his  earnest  exhortation  to  me  at 
that  time,  as  the  principal  ineans  in  the  hand  of  God  of  my  conversion.''^ 


A]ST3   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  233 

On  the  30th  of  March  he  thus  wrote  to  Mr.  Page : 

"  My  dear  Christian  Friend — I  have  received  jour  very  kind 
letter,  and  am  now  happy  to  answer  it.  One  of  my  brothers  writes 
for  me,  because  I  can't  write  well  enough  yet.  I  tell  him  what 
to  write,  so  the  word  be  some  like  Thomas.  I  very  glad  the  great 
God  in  heaven  make  the  Coventry  people  pray  for  poor  heathen 
where  there  is  no  Saviour.  I  think  they  pray  for  me  too,  that  I  be 
prepared  to  tell  the  heathen  all  about  the  great  God,  and  our 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  I  rejoice  a  great  deal  to  hear  about  sinner 
come  to  Christ  and  get  a  new  heart.  I  hope  the  good  work  con- 
tinue always  among  you,  so  I  rejoice  always.  The  people  here  have 
no  revival — no  pray  enough.  I  sorry  ;  I  hope  we  pray  enough  by 
and  by.     "We  have  good  many  meetings,  but  no  feel. 

"  I  hope  I  go  home  by  and  by,  and  have  sinner  come  to  God  in 
my  country.  Yes,  my  dear  Mr.  Page,  1  go,  if  I  live  to  be  ready. 
We  have  some  scholars  no  love  the  Saviour.  I  tell  them  they  must 
be  born  again  or  go  to  hell.  I  talk  to  some  sinner  all  about  they  no 
come  to  Christ.  I  tell  them  I  come  away  from  heathen  land,  and 
find  a  good  Saviour  :  they  been  here  so  long,  and  no  come  to  Christ. 
You  must  pray  a  great  deal  for  poor  sinners  in  Cornwall  school. 
May  be  we  have  a  revival  here. 

•*  I  must  close  now.     I  think  I  pray  every  day  for  you  and  all 
my  friends.     The  great  God  bless  you  and  make  you  do  good  while 
you  live  ;  and  when  you  and  I  die,  may  we  meet  and  shake  hand  in 
heaven,  and  stay  always  with  our  Saviour  and  all  who  love  him. 
"  Your  true  friend, 

''Patoo." 

Rev.  Joseph  Smith. — He  was  a  laborious  and  faithful 
pastor  ;  was  particularly  diligent  in  seeking  out  those  who  were 
neglecting  the  ordinances  of  religion.  The  tide  of  emigration,  espe- 
cially from  Virginia,  poured  around  him  considerable  numbers  of  the 
profane  and  openly  irreligious.  He  was  skillful  in  devising  methods 
of  access  to  persons  whom  few  would  have  thought  it  worth  while 
to  approach.  On  one  occasion  he  was  at  the  house  of  one  of  his  elders 
over  night,  and  rising  early  in  the  morning,  he  observed  a  house 


234:  REMARKABLE   CONYEESIONS 

half  a  mile  distant,  and  inquired  of  bis  elder  who  lived  there.  On 
beiuof  told  that  it  was  a  person  who  had  resided  there  but  a  few 
months,  Mr.  Smith  asked  if  he  came  to  church.  The  elder  said  he 
did  not,  but  his  wife  and  children  came  sometimes.  Mr.  Smith  said 
that  he  would  go  and  see  him  ;  and  telling  the  elder  not  to  delay 
breakfast  for  him,  immediately  set  off.  Arrived  at  the  house,  he 
found  the  man  and  his  family  at  home.  He  introduced  himself  as 
the  minister  who  preached  at  Buffalo,  and  as  such  had  called  to  see 
them.  The  man  said  he  knew  him,  though  he  had  not  been  to 
church,  but  added  that  his  wife  and  children  sometimes  went.  Mr. 
Smith  called  the  family  together,  and  talked  with  them  on  the  sub- 
ject of  religion  ;  and,  after  some  time,  asked  the  man  if  he  had 
had  family  worship  that  morning.  He  replied  that  he  had  not.  "  I 
suppose,"  said  Mr.  S.,  ''that  you  pray  in  your  family,  of  course." 
He  admitted  that  he  did  not.  "  Then,"  said  Mr.  S.,  "  you  ought  to 
do  it ;  and  the  sooner  you  begin  the  better.  You  must  begin  imme- 
diately." He  then  asked  for  a  Bible,  and  read  a  passage,  accompa- 
nying it  with  suitable  comments,  and  immediately  asked  the  man  to 
pray  ;  and  without  giving  him  time  to  express  either  his  assent  or 
dissent,  he  knelt  down  forthwith.  A  long  silence  followed.  Mr. 
Smith  then  turned  to  the  man  and  urged  him  to  pray.  His  importu- 
nate visitor  again  repeated  his  request.  Under  this  process,  his  mind 
being  deeply  agitated,  he  cried  out  at  length,  in  agony,  "  0  Lord, 
teach  me  to  pray,  for  I  know  not  how  to  pray."  "  That  will  do," 
said  Mr.  Smith,  as  he  rose  from  his  knees  ;  "  you  have  made  a  good 
beginning,  and  I  trust  you  will  soon  be  able  to  extend  your  peti- 
tions." The  result  was  such  as  Mr.  S.  predicted.  The  tradition  is, 
that  from  that  time  forth  he  became  a  man  of  prayer,  and  he  and 
his  family  were  soon  consistent  and  active  members  of  the  church. 

A  New  Test  of  Conversion. — An  excellent  pastor  of 
Massachusetts  writes  to  us  (says  the  Evangelist)  :  Talking  the  other 
day  with  a  brother  minister  who  is  enjoying  a  rich  outpouring  of 
reviving  grace,  he  observed,  that  an  influential  man  in  his  congrega- 
tion had  recently  asked  him  to  exchange  pulpits  with  a  neighboring 
pastor,  towards  whom  this  hearer  had  been  wont  to  express  great 
dislike  as  a  preacher. 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  235 

"Why,"  said  my  friend  to  him,  "this  is  a  strange  request  from 
you  ;  you  used  to  stay  away  from  church  when  brother  P.  came 
here  to  preach." 

"  I  know  it,"  replied  the  parishioner  ;  "  but  I  hope  I  have  lately 
become  a  Christian,  and  I  thought  if  I  could  see  Mr.  P.  going  up 
our  pulpit  stairs  without  getting  angry,  I  should  have  pretty  good 
evidence  that  I  am  really  converted." 

"  The  Child's  Call."— A  dear  little  babe  was  in  its  tiny  coffin, 
flowers  were  on  its  bosom,  and  a  smile  on  its  pale,  cold  cheek.  The 
father  and  mother  sat  beside  the  coffin  with  their  remaining  chil- 
dren ;  friends  came  in ;  the  venerable  pastor  also  came  to  offer 
prayer  and  console  these  mourning  parents.  He  had  knowu  the 
bitterness  of  parting  with  a  loved  infant,  and  tender  were  the  words 
of  condolence  offered  ;  he  spoke  of  the  little  one  who  had  been  the 
joy  of  the  household,  now  gone  to  the  better  land,  and  that  it  was 
calling  to  the  father  and  mother  to  come — "  Father,  are  you  ready? 
Mother,  are  you  ready  ?"  The  precious  babe  was  laid  in  the  cold 
earth  ;  but  the  heart  of  the  young  father  was  touched  with  the 
Spirit  of  God,  and  he  could  not  rid  himself  of  the  "child's  call" — 
"  Father,  are  you  ready  to  die  ?" 

A  fortnight  passed,  and  in  a  little  village  prayer-meeting  was  this 
father,  a  penitent,  hoping  for  pardon  through  the  blood  of  Jesus. 
He  who  for  years  had  neglected  the  word  of  God,  who  had  been  in 
scenes  of  merriment  and  gaiety,  who  had  profaned  the  name  of  his 
Maker,  and  had  not  thought  of  the  value  of  the  souls  of  his  house- 
hold, now  came  humbly  confessing  sin,  and  entreating  others  to  pre- 
pare to  die.  Thus  God  in  his  wise  providence  takes  away  the  prat- 
tling one  to  lead  the  parent  to  think  of  the  better  world,  and  to 
make  preparations  to  enter  therein. 

The  "  Upper  Chamber." — Some  years  ago,  a  young  man 
from  New  England  came  to  New  York,  and  was  employed  as  a  clerk 
in  a  large  dry-goods  house  down  town.  Shortly  after  his  engage* 
ment,  he  came  to  his  employer  with  the  statement  that  some  of  the 
clerks  were  seriously  interested  in  the  subject  of  personal  piety,  and 
requested  that  a  small  upper  room  in  the  building  might  be  set  apart 


236  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

and  furnislied,  to  be  used  exclusively  as  a  place  of  retirement,  to 
which  the  various  individuals  connected  with  the  establishment 
might  resort  for  religious  conversation,  reading  of  the  Scriptures, 
and  prayer.  This  request  was  immediately  granted,  and  the  room 
was  used  for  years  for  this  only  purpose,  resulting  in  the  conversion 
of  a  large  number  of  the  persons  who,  during  that  time,  came  in  and 
went  out  of  the  employ  of  the  establishment. 

A  Word  in  Season. — In  Shropshire,  England,  some  years 
ago,  a  number  of  acquaintances  and  friends  had  assembled  to  spend 
a  social  evening  together.  In  the  course  of  the  evening  they 
resolved  to  have  a  dance,  and  prevailed  on  Michael  Onions,  at 
whose  house  they  were,  to  go  out  a  distance  of  two  miles  to  procure 
a  fiddler  for  them.  On  his  way  he  met  a  stranger,  who,  having 
missed  his  road,  requested  Michael  to  direct  him  to  Madeley. 
Michael  readily  consented  to  do  this,  and  walked  about  half  a  mile 
with  him  for  this  purpose.  The  stranger  ascertained  the  errand  on 
which  Onions  was  going,  and  began  to  talk  with  him  about  his  soul, 
showing  him  the  unsuitableness  of  such  folhes  to  a  dying  man,  his 
need  of  salvation  and  a  personal  interest  in  Christ,  and  his  awful 
danger  as  an  unsaved  sinner.  When  the  stranger  left  Michael,  the 
conversation  had  so  impressed  him,  that  he  dared  not  proceed  on  his 
errand,  but  returned  to  his  home.  When  he  opened  the  door,  his 
friends  inquired  : 

''  Have  you  brought  the  fiddler  ?" 

He  answered,  "  No." 

"  Is  he  not  at  home  ?" 

"  Have  you  been  at  Brosely  ?" 

"  No." 

"  Why,  what  is  the  matter  ?  You  look  ill,  and  are  all  of  a 
tremble." 

Michael  then  told  them  that  he  had  met  somebody,  but  whether  a 
man  or  angel  he  could  not  tell ;  he  never  before  heard  such  a  man. 
He  repeated  what  had  been  said  to  him  on  spiritual  subjects,  and 
added,  "  I  dare  not  go  to  Brosely  ;  I  would  not  for  the  world." 

The  party  was  broken  up.  The  next  Sabbath,  Michael  and  some 
of  his  friends  attended  Madeley  church,  and  there,  in  Eev.  John 


AND   KEVIVAI.   INCIDENTS.  237 

Fletcher,  the  new  vicar,  he  recognized  the  stranger  who  had  con- 
versed with  him.  The  impression  wrought  on  Michael  was  lasting 
in  its  character,  and,  under  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  led  to 
his  conversion.  He  became  a  zealous,  devoted,  and  useful  Christian. 
"  A  word  spoken  in  due  season,  how  good  it  is." 

The  Play-house  a  House  of  Prayer.— At  the  first 
prayer-meeting  in  Burton's  old  theatre.  Rev.  T.  L.  Cuyler  said  : 

At  the  request  of  a  Committee  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  I  have  come  to  conduct  the  service  to-day.  At  last  we 
may  congratulate  the  defenders  of  the  stage  that  a  theatre  has 
become  a  school  of  virtue  and  not  a  school  of  vice — a  house  of 
prayer,  and  not  a  haunt  of  profanity — a  spot  for  the  real  tears  of 
penitence,  and  not  the  scene  of  fictitious  grief  over  fictitious  sorrows  ! 
Let  us  give  God  the  glory  !  This  is  not  the  first  time  that  a  theatre 
in  New  York  has  been  used  for  a  daily  prayer-meeting.  In  1831, 
the  old  Chatham  street  theatre — a  haunt  of  obscenity  and  vice — 
was  purchased  by  a  committee  for  purposes  of  worship.  It  was 
during  the  height  of  the  great  religious  revival  of  1831,  that  two 
gentlemen  called  on  the  lessee  of  the  theatre  and  proposed  to  buy 
his  lease.  "What  for  ?"  said  he.  "For  a  church."  "A  what?" 
"  For  a  church,"  replied  the  gentlemen.  The  astonished  man  broke 
into  tears  and  exclaimed,  "  You  may  have  it,  and  I  will  give  $1000 
towards  it !"  The  arrangement  was  completed.  It  was  announced 
to  the  actors  that  there  would  be  preaching  on  that  stage  everv 
night.!  The  first  prayer-meeting  in  the  theatre  was  attended  by 
eight  hundred  persons.  Among  those  who  offered  prayer  were  the 
late  Rev.  Heman  Norton  and  Zachariah  Lewis,  one  of  the  early 
proprietors  of  the  New  York  Commercial  Advertiser.  On  the  6th 
of  May,  the  house  was  consecrated  to  the  service  of  God,  under  the 
title  of  the  "  Chatham  street  Chapel."  Rev.  Mr.  Finney  preached 
from  the  text,  "  Who  is  on  the  Lord's  side  ?"  The  ba,r-room  was 
changed  into  a  prayer-room  !  The  first  man  who  knelt  there  poured 
forth  these  striking  words  :  "  0  Lord,  forgive  my  sins  !  The  last 
time  I  was  here,  thou  knowest  that  I  was  a  wicked  actor  on  this 
stage.  0  Tjord,  have  mercy  on  me  !"  To-day,  for  the  second  time 
in  the  history  of  New  York,  we  set  apart  a  disused  play-house  for  a 


238  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

temporary  house  of  worship.  Ob,  what  fearful  soul-tragedies  may 
have  been  enacted  in  this  very  building  !  From  yonder  "pit"  how 
many  a  ruined  young  man  may  have  gone  down  to  the  pit  of  endless 
despair  !  Let  our  services  here  be  as  solemn  as  eternity.  May  no 
false  fire  be  kindled  on  God's  altar  !  May  the  Holy  Spirit  be  here, 
and  may  this  former  habitation  of  the  Tempter  be  the  very  habita- 
tion of  Immanuel — the  house  of  God — the  gate  of  heaven  to  souls 
seeking  after  Jesus  ! 

A  Widow's  Son. — A  minister  from  England  being,  some 
years  since,  at  Edinburgh,  was  accosted  very  civilly  by  a  young 
man  in  the  street,  with  an  apology  for  the  hberty  he  was  taking: 
"  I  think,  sir,"  said  he,  "I  have  heard  you  at  Spafields  chapel." 
"You  probably  may,  sir;  for  I  have  sometimes  ministered  there." 
"  Do  you  remember,"  said  he,  "  a  note  put  up  by^an  afflicted  widow, 
begging  the  prayers  of  the  congregation  for  the  conversion  of  an 
ungodly  son  ?"  "I  do  very  well  remember  such  a  circumstance." 
"Sir,"  said  he,  "I  am  the  very  person;  and,  wonderful  to  tell,  the 
prayer  was  effectual.  Going  on  a  frohc  with  some  other  abandoned 
young  men,  one  Sunday,  through  the  Spafields,  and  passing  by  the 
chapel,  I  was  struck  with  its  appearance,  &nd,  hearing  it  was  a 
Methodist  chapel,  we  agreed  to  mingle  with  the  crowd,  and  stop 
for  a  few  minutes  to  laugh  and  mock  at  the  preacher  and  the  peo- 
ple. We  had  only  just  entered  the  chapc^l  when  you,  sir,  read  the 
note  requesting  the  prayers  of  the  congregation  for  an  afflicted 
widow's  son.  I  heard  it  with  a  sensation  I  cannot  express.  I  was 
struck  to  the  heart;  and,  though  I  had  no  idea  that  I  was  the  very 
individual  meant,  I  felt  that  it  expressed  the  bitterness  of  a  widow's 
heart  who  had  a  child  as  wicked  as  I  knew  myself  to  be.  My  mind 
was  instantly  solemnized.  I  could  not  laugh;  my  attention  was 
riveted  on  the  preacher.  I  heard  his  prayer  and  sermon  with  an 
impression  very  different  from  that  which  had  carried  me  into  the 
chapel. 

"  From  that  moment  the  truths  of  the  gospel  reached  my  heart; 
I  joined  the  congregation,  cried  to  God  in  Christ  for  mercy,  and 
found  peace  in  believing;  became  my  mother's  comfort,  as  I  had 
long  been  her  heavy  cross,  and,  through  grace,  trust  I  have  still 


AND   EEVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  239 

been  enabled  to  consecrate  myself  to  the  service  of  God.  An  open- 
ing having  lately  been  made  for  an  advantageous  settlement  in  my 
own  country,  I  came  hither  with  my  excellent  mother,  and,  for  some 
time  past,  have  endeavored  to  dry  up  the  widow's  tears  which  I 
had  so  often  caused  to  flow,  and  to  be  the  comfort  and  support  of 
her  old  age,  as  I  had  formerly  been  her  torment  and  affliction.  We 
live  together  in  the  enjoyment  of  every  mercy,  happy  and  thankful; 
and  every  day  I  acknowledge  the  kind  hand  of  the  Lord  that  led 
me  to  the  Spafields  chapel." 

The  Power  of  Meekness. — "A  man  of  my  acquaintance," 
says  Dr.  Dwight,  "  who  was  of  a  vehement  and  rigid  temper,  had, 
many  years  since,  a  dispute  with  a  friend  of  his,  a  professor  of  reli- 
gion, and  had  been  injured  by  him.  "With  strong  feelings  of  resent- 
ment, he  made  him  a  visit  for  the  avowed  purpose  of  quarrelling 
with  him.  He  accordingly  stated  the  nature  and  extent  of  the 
injury,  and  was  preparing,  as  he  afterwards  confessed,  to  load  him 
with  a  train  of  severe  reproaches,  when  his  friend  cut  him  short  by 
acknowledging,  with  the  utmost  readiness  and  frankness,  the  injus- 
tice of  which  he  had  been  guilty,  expressing  his  own  regret  for  the 
wrong  which  he  had  done,  requesting  his  forgiveness,  and  proffering 
him  ample  compensation. 

''As  he  was  walking  homeward,  he  said  to  himself,  to  this  efifect: 
There  must  be  something  more  in  religion  than  I  have  hitherto  sus- 
pected. There  is  something  in  this  man's  disposition  which  is  not 
in  mine.  There  is  something  in  the  religion  which  he  professes, 
and  w^hich  I  am  forced  to  believe  he  feels. 

"  From  this  incident,  a  train  of  thoughts  and  emotions  com- 
menced in  the  mind  of  this  man,  w^hich  terminated  in  his  profession 
of  the  Christian  religion,  his  relinquishment  of  the  business  in  which 
he  was  engaged,  and  his  consecration  of  himself  to  the  ministry  of 
the  gospel."  . 

An  Attentive   Little   Girl. — Several  years  ago,   D 

was  blessed  with  a  revival  of  religion.     One  evening,  Mrs,  

and  her  little  daugliter  attended  a  meeting,  and,  w^hile  the  preacher 
was  speaking  of  the  neglect  of  family  duties,  of  reading  the  Scrip- 


240  KEMAEKABLE   CONTEESIONS 

tures,  and  of  family  prayer,  the  little  daughter,  who  listened  atten- 
tively, and  perceived  that  the  preacher  was  describing  a  neglect 
that  she  had  witnessed  herself,  whispered  to  her  mother,  "Ma,  is 

Mr. talking  to  you  V     This  was  powerful  preaching  to  the 

mother;  she  was  immediately  brought  under  deep  convictions  of 
sin,  which  resulted  in  her  hopeful  conversion  to  God. 

Profanity  Made  a  Means  of  Grace. — A  poor  wretched 
female,  religiously  educated,  but  afterwards  abandoned  to  sin, 
misery  and  want,  was  struck  with  horror  at  hearing  her  own  child 
repeat,  as  soon  as  she  could  well  speak,  some  of  the  profane  language 
which  she  had  learned  of  herself.  She  trembled  at  the  thought  that 
she  was  not  only  going  to  hell  herself,  but  leading  her  child  thither. 
She  instantly  resolved  that  with  the  first  sixpence  she  could  procure 
she  would  purchase  Dr.  Watts'  Divine  Songs,  of  which  she  had  some 
recollection,  to  teach  her  infant  daughter.  She  did  so,  and  on  open- 
ing the  book  her  eye  caught  the  follov>'ing  striking  verse  : 

"  Just  as  the  tree  cut  down  that  fell 

To  north  or  southward,  there  it  lies ; 
So  man  departs  to  heaven  or  hell, 
Fixed  in  the  state  wherein  he  dies." 

She  read  on  ;  the  event  was  blessed  to  her  conversion,  and  she 
lived  and  died  a  consistent  professor  of  religion. 

An  Innkeeper's  Family. — The  late  Rev.  John  Ryland,  of 
Northampton,  England,  being  on  a  journey,  was  overtaken  by  a 
violent  storm,  and  compelled  to  take  shelter  in  the  first  inn  he  came 
to.  The  people  of  the  house  treated  him  with  great  kindness  and 
hospitality.  They  would  fain  have  showed  him  into  the  parlor,  but 
being  very  wet  and  cold,  he  begged  permission  rather  to  take  a  seat 
by  the  fireside  with  the  family.  The  good  old  man  was  friendly, 
cheerful,  and  well  stored  with  entertaining  anecdotes,  and  the  family 
did  their  utmost  to  make  him  comfortable  ;  they  all  supped  toge- 
ther, and  both  the  residents  and  the  guest  seemed  mutually  pleased 
with  each  other. 

At  length,  when  the  house  was  cleared  and  the  hour  of  rest 


AND   REVIVAL   INOIDENTS.  241 

approached,  the  stranger  appeared  uneasy,  and  looked  up  every 
time  a  door  opened,  as  if  expecting  the  appearance  of  something 
essential  to  his  comfort.  His  host  informed  him  that  his  chamber 
was  prepared  whenever  he  chose  to  retire.  "But,"  said  he,  "you 
have  not  had  your  family  together."  "  Had  my  family  together  ; 
for  what  purpose  ?  I  don't  know  what  you  mean,"  said  the  laud- 
lord.  "  To  read  the  Scriptures,  and  to  pray  with  them,"  replied 
the  guest ;  "  Surely,  you  do  not  retire  to  rest  in  the  omission  of  so 
necessary  a  duty."  The  landlord  confessed  that  he  had  never 
thought  of  doing  such  a  thing.  "  Then,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Ryland,  "  I 
must  beg  you  to  order  my  horse  immediately."  The  landlord  and 
family  entreated  him  not  to  expose  himself  to  the  inclemency  of  the 
weather  at  that  late  hour  of  the  night,  observing  that  the  storm  was 
as  violent  as  when  he  first  came  in.  "  May  be  so,"  rephed  Mr. 
Ryland,  "  but  I  had  rather  brave  the  storm  than  venture  to  sleep  in 
a  house  where  there  is  no  prayer.  Who  can  tell  what  may  befall  us 
us  before  morning  ?     'No,  sir  ;  I  dare  not  stay." 

The  landlord  still  remonstrated,  and  expressing  great  regret  that 
he  should  offend  so  agreeable  a  gentleman,  at  last  said  he  should 
have  no  objection  to  "  call  his  family  together,"  but  he  should  not 
know  what  to  do  when  they  came.  Mr.  Ryland  then  proposed  to 
conduct  family  worship,  to  which  all  readily  consented.  The  family 
was  immediately  assembled,  and  then  Mr.  Ryland  called  for  a  Bible; 
but  no  such  book  could  be  produced.  However,  he  was  enabled  to 
supply  the  deficiency,  as  he  always  carried  a  small  Bible  or  Testa- 
ment in  his  pocket.  He  read  a  portion  of  Scripture,  and  then 
prayed  with  much  fervor  and  solemnity,  especially  acknowledging 
the  preserving  goodness  of  God  that  none  had  been  struck  dead  by 
the  storm,  and  imploring  protection  through  the  night.  He  earn- 
estly prayed  that  the  attention  of  all  might  be  awakened  to  the 
things  belonging  to  their  everlasting  peace,  and  that  the  family 
might  never  again  meet  in  the  morning,  or  separate  at  night,  with- 
out prayer.  When  he  rose  from  his  knees,  almost  every  individual 
present  was  bathed  in  tears,  and  the  inquiry  was  awakened  in  several 
hearts,  "  Sir,  what  must  we  do  to  be  saved  ?"  Much  interesting 
and  profitable  conversation  ensued.  The  following  morning  Mr 
Ryland  again  conducted  family  worship,  and  obtained  from  the  land 

11 


24:2  KEMAKKABLE   C0NVEKSI0N8 

lord  a  promise  that,  however  feebly  performed,  it  should  not  in 
future  be  omitted.  This  day  was  indeed  the  beginning  of  days  to 
that  family  ;  most,  if  not  all  of  them,  became  decided  and  devoted 
followers  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  were  the  means  of  diffusing 
a  knowledge  of  the  gospel  in  a  neighborhood  which  had  before  been 
proverbially  dark  and  destitute. 

A  Persecutor  in  Danger. — The  excellent  Isaac  Ambrose, 
in  his  "  Treatise  on  Angels,"  gives  an  account  of  a  profane  persecu- 
tor who  was  brought  to  seek  the  mercy  of  God  in  a  remarkable 
manner.  He  was  out  on  a  journey  with  his  pious  wife,  when  they 
were  overtaken  with  a  storm  of  thunder  and  lightning.  He  w^as 
seized  with  great  terror,  and  his  wife  inquired  into  its  cause. 
"Why,"  asked  he,  "  are  not  you  afraid  ?"  She  replied,  "  No  ;  for 
I  know  it  is  the  voice  of  my  heavenly  Father  ;  and  shall  a  child  be 
afraid  of  a  kind  father's  voice  ?"  The  man  began  to  reflect  that 
Christians  must  have  within  them  a  divine  principle  of  which  the 
world  is  ignorant,  or  they  could  not  enjoy  such  calmness  when  the 
rest  of  the  world  were  filled  with  horror.  He  went  to  Mr.  Bolton, 
an  eminent  minister  to  whom  he  had  been  opposed,  acknowledged 
and  lamented  his  sins,  and  furnished  good  evidence  of  a  change  of 
heart. 

Tract  Visitation. — "  Last  evening,"  writes  the  devoted  Har- 
lan Page,  '*  I  closed  up  our  efforts  in  the  tract  distribution  for  this 
month,  and  gave  in  my  report.  A  few  hours  before  the  meeting,  I 
found  that  a  district  of  seventy-eight  families  had  not  been  supplied  ; 
and  to  complete  the  distribution  for  the  ward,  undertook  to  supply 
it  myself.  I  found  several  whose  minds  were  very  tender,  and  on 
whom  the  truth  seemed  to  make  a  deep  impression.  A  young  man 
and  his  wife  listened  with  fixed  and  trembling  attention,  as  I  con- 
versed with  them  on  the  subject  of  their  own  personal  salvation. 
Two  pious  females  residing  in  the  house  soon  joined  the  little  circle, 
and  we  all  knelt  and  endeavored  to  commit  their  case  to  Him  who 
is  able  and  willing  to  save.  It  was  a  solemn  season,  and  our  divine 
Redeemer  seem  to  manifest  his  special  presence. 

*'  This  morning  I  caUed  on  them  agam.     I  found  both  of  them 


AND  REVIVAL  INCIDENTS.  243 

apparently  trusting  in  the  Saviour.  They  hoped  they  had  surren- 
dered themselves  to  him  on  the  preceding  evening.  They  had 
opened  to  each  other  freely  the  feelings  of  their  hearts  ;  and  had 
that  morning  erected  the  family  altar,  and  were  now  determined  to 
live  together  as  fellow-heirs  of  the  grace  of  life." 

A  Brand  Plucked  from  the  Fire. — A  clergyman  conclud- 
ing a  sermon  to  youth,  took  occasion  to  press  upon  parents  the  duty 
of  parental  faith,  and  illustrated  its  power  in  the  following  manner  : 

About  two  and  twenty  years  ago  a  little  circle  were  met  around 
the  couch  of  an  apparently  dying  infant  ;  the  man  of  God  who  led 
their  devotions  seemed  to  forget  the  sickness  of  the  child  in  his 
prayer  for  his  future  usefulness.  He  prayed  for  the  child,  who  had 
been  consecrated  to  God  at  his  birth,  as  a  man,  a  Christian,  and  a 
minister  of  the  word.  The  parents  prayed  with  him.  The  child 
recovered,  grew  towards  manhood,  and  ran  far  in  the  ways  of  folly  and 
sin.  One  after  another  of  that  little  circle  ascended  to  heaven  ;  but 
two,  at  least,  and  one  of  them  the  mother,  lived  to  hear  him  proclaim 
the  everlasting  gospel.  ''  It  is,"  said  the  preacher,  "  no  fiction  ;  that 
child,  that  prodigal  youth,  that  preacher,  is  he  who  now  addresses 
you." 

Keligion  Recommended  by  its  Absence. — A  young 
lady,  the  child  of  pious  parents,  had  arrived  at  years  of  maturity 
apparently  without  having  any  salutary  impressions  made  on  her 
mind  either  by  the  instructions  she  had  received,  or  the  examples 
she  had  witnessed.  In  this  state  of  mind  she  received  the  addresses 
of  a  gentleman  destitute  of  rehgion,  and  who,  probably,  had  not 
possessed  her  early  advantages.  He  was  moral,  respectable,  and 
honorable  in  social  life,  and  had  no  idea  that  anything  more  waa 
necessary.     In  due  time  they  were  married. 

The  worth  of  any  blessing  is  often  best  taught  by  its  loss.  The 
very  first  day  of  her  residence  in  the  house  of  her  husband,  the 
young  lady  was  struck  with  horror  and  distress  at  the  omission  of 
family  prayers  ;  and  that  the  family  separated  at  night,  and  met  in 
the  morning,  and  no  Bible  was  called  for,  no  expressions  of  grati- 
tude offered  for  protection  and  refreshment  through  the  night,  no 


244  KEMAEKABLE  00NVEK8I0NS 

supplication  for  provision^  direction,  and  support  through  the  day. 
She  felt  desolate  and  uncomfortable  j  and  that  which  she  had  so 
long  disregarded  in  the  house  of  her  father,  seemed  now  absolutely 
essential  to  her  comfort.  The  deficiency  was  ^he  means  of  awaken- 
ing in  her  mind  deep  and  serious  convictions  of  her  sin,  in  having 
failed  to  improve  the  privileges  with  which  she  had  so  long  been 
favored.  She  was  led  to  tremble  at  her  awful  state  of  guilt  and 
danger  as  a  sinner  before  God  ;  she  humbly  and  earnestly  sought 
mercy  through  the  blood  of  the  cross,  and  found  joy  and  peace  in 
beheving.  Now  the  instructions  and  admonitions  of  her  pious 
parents,  which  had  so  long  seemed  to  be  like  good  seed  rotting 
beneath  the  clod,  began  to  spring  up  and  yield  fruit.  She  said, 
"  The  God  of  my  parents  shall  be  my  God  ;"  and  she  gave  herself 
up  to  him  in  a  covenant  never  to  be  forgotten.  She  could  not  now 
be  insensible  to  the  best  interests  of  her  husband  and  family  ;  these 
became  matter  of  deep  solicitude  and  fervent  prayer.  Her  pious 
endeavors  were  blessed  :  her  husband  was  awakened  to  discern  the 
things  that  belonged  to  his  everlasting  peace,  and  was  made  a  par- 
taker of  the  grace  of  God  in  truth.  Their  household  was  soon  num- 
bered among  those  in  whose  tabernacles  is  heard  the  voice  of 
rejoicing  and  salvation.  They  became  eminently  pious,  exemplary, 
and  useful,  and  trained  up  their  children  in  the  nurture  and  admoni- 
tion of  the  Lord. 

Sent  for  by  Providence. — A  gentleman  residing  in  the 
western  part  of  the  State  of  New  York,  a  few  years  since,  had  sent 
two  of  his  daughters  to  Litchfield,  Conn.,  to  be  educated.  While 
they  were  there,  God  was  pleased  to  bless  the  place  with  a  revival  of 
religion.  The  news  of  it  reached  the  ears  of  their  father.  He  was 
much  troubled  for  his  daughters,  "apprehensive,"  to  use  his  own 
words,  "lest  their  minds  should  be  affected,  and  they  should  be 
frightened  into  religion." 

Alive,  as  he  thought,  to  their  happiness,  and  determined  to  allaj 
their  fears  and  quiet  their  distresses,  he  sent  a  friend  to  Litchfield 
with  positive  orders  to  bring  them  immediately  home,  that  they  might 
not  be  lost  to  all  happiness  and  hope,  and  consigned  to  gloom  and 
despondency. 


Ain)  REVIVAL  INCIDENTS.  245 

The  messenger  departed  on  this  errand  ;  but  they  had  already 
chosen  Christ  for  their  portion,  and  had  resolved  that,  whatever 
others  might  do,  they  would  serve  the  Lord.  They  looked  at  both 
sides  of  the  great  question  :  they  looked  at  the  world  and  the  plea- 
sures of  the 'world,  and  they  thought  of  God  and  the  glories  of  hn- 
mortality  ;  and  with  an  eye  full  fixed  upon  heaven,  they  determined 
to  live  for  eternity. 

They  returned  to  their  father's  not  overwhelmed,  as  he  expected, 
with  gloom  and  despondency,  but  with  hearts  glowing  with  gratitude 
to  God,  and  countenances  beaming  with  serenity  and  hope.  Indeed, 
they  rejoiced  in  the  Saviour. 

Soon  after  their  return  home  they  were  anxious  to  establish  family 
worship.  They  affectionately  requested  their  father  to  commence 
that  duty.  He  repUed  that  he  saw  no  use  in  it.  He  had  lived  very 
well  more  than  fifty  years  without  prayer,  and  he  could  not  be  bur- 
dened with  it  now.  They  then  asked  permission  to  pray  with  the- 
family  themselves.  Not  thinking  they  would  have  confidence  to  do 
it,  he  assented  to  the  proposition. 

The  duties  of  the  day  being  ended,  and  the  hour  for  retiring  to 
rest  having  arrived,  the  sisters  drew  forward  the  stand,  placed  on  it 
the  Bible  ;  one  read  a  chapter— they  both  kneeled— the  other  offered 
prayer.  The  father  stood,  and  while  the  humble,  fervent  prayer  of 
his  daughter  was  ascending  to  heaven  his  knees  began  to  tremble  ; 
he  also  kneeled,  and  then  became  prostrate  on  the  floor.  God  heard 
their  prayer,  and  directed  their  father's  weeping  eyes,  which  had 
never  shed  tears  of  penitence  before,  to  the  Lamb  of  God,  who 
taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world. 

Faithfulness  of  Harlan  Page.— An  estimable  and  pious 
young  lady.  Miss  B.,  has  informed  the  writer,  that  on  becoming  ac- 
quainted with  Mr.  Page,  in  182t,  he  soon  inquu-ed  if  she  was  "  a 
professor  of  religion;"  and  again,  if  she  "had  an  interest  in  Christ;" 
if  she  "  thought  it  desirable;"  if  she  had  sought  to  obtain  it;"  if  she 
''  had  renounced  the  world,  and  resolved  to  live  for  the  glory  of  God;" 
could  she  V  give  him  the  reason  why  she  had  not  ?"  The  impressions 
made  on  her  mind  by  repeated  conversations  were  such,  that  she 
could  not  rest  till  she  found  rest  in  Christ.     "  This  result,"  she  says, 


246  EEMAEKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

"  I  cannot  but  view  as  in  answer  to  fervent  prayer,  and  in  fulfillment 
of  the  promise,  *  Them  that  honor  me,  I  will  honor/  His  life  was  a 
living  epistle.  Often,  to  this  day,  has  the  solemn  question,  'Are 
you  a  professor  of  rehgion  V  warned  me  of  danger,  and  summoned 
me  to  duty." 

A  Universalist  converted  on  his  Deathbed. — Says 
Harlan  Page,  in  one  of  his  letters,  "  I  have  just  passed  through  a 
most  affecting  scene.  On  last  Sabbath  evening  I  went  alone  to  the 
house  where  I  had  attended  a  prayer-meeting  a  week  previous  ;  but 
found  there  was  no  meeting,  and  that,  under  the  same  roof,  a  man 
was  very  sick.  His  wife,  who  is  pious,  appeared  grateful  for  my 
call,  gave  me  an  account  of  their  circumstances,  and  informed  me 
that  her  husband  had  been  a  professed  Universalist ;  but  of  late  she 
thought  his  confidence  in  that  error  was  shaken,  though  he  would 
frequently  argue  the  subject  with  her  and  others,  even  on  his  sick, 
and  she  feared,  his  dying  bed.  She  informed  him  I  was  present,  and 
asked  if  he  wished  prayer.  He  said  he  did.  I  told  him  I  would 
comply — remarking  that,  as  he  seemed  near  to  death,  he  must  pro- 
bably soon  meet  the  eternal  God,  and  asking  if  he  felt  prepared. 
He  intimated  that  he  did. 

"  '  Do  you  think  you  have  experienced  that  change  of  heart  which 
is  spoken  of  in  the  word  of  God  as  essential  to  salvation  V 

"  '  Have  I  repented  of  my  sins,'  said  he  to  himself,  '  and  believed 
on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  V 

"  '  Do  you  love  Christ  V  said  I.     '  Is  he  the  one  altogether  lovely  V 

" '  Yes,  he  is  lovely  to  me.     I  hope  to  be  saved  by  him.' 

"  '  Do  you  believe  all  will  be  saved  by  Christ  V 

"  '  Yes,  I  think  so.' 

"  '  What  do  you  think  of  the  passage,  These  shall  go  away  into 
everlasting  punishment  V 

"  '  I  cannot  tell  what  it  means.' 

''  *  We  read  also.  The  wicked  shall  be  turned  into  hell,  and  all  the 
nations  that  forget  God.' 

"  '  Then,'  said  he,  '  I  must  go  there.' 

"  He  seemed  somewhat  exhausted,  and  I  was  about  to  close  my 
interview,  when  he  again  asked  me  to  pray  with  him. 


AND  REVIVAL  INCIDENTS.  24:7 

"  '  What  petition  shall  I  offer  V  said  I.  '  Shall  I  ask  that  your 
heart  may  be  changed  V 

"  '  Yes,'  said  he,  '  and  that  I  may  be  pnrified.' 

*'  Neighbors  in  the  house  were  called  in,  and  prayer  was  made  in 
his  behalf,  amidst  sobs  and  tears.  His  wife  begged  me  to  call  again, 
which  I  did,  with  Mr.  D.,  a  young  clergyman.  He  was  evidently 
declining,  but  gave  us  no  more  satisfaction  respecting  his  state. 

"After  we  left  him,  he  had  much  conversation  with  the  Rev.  Mr. 
J.,  and  expressed  his  conviction  of  his  ruin  by  sin,  his  renunciation 
of  all  the  former  grounds  of  his  hope,  his  reliance  solely  upon  Christ, 
and  his  peace  and  joy  in  him.  He  died  the  following  day.  His  wife 
had  long  prayed  earnestly  for  his  conversion  ;  and  at  last,  when  she 
had  almost  given  him  up  as  lost,  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  him 
give  such  evidence  as  he  could  in  his  last  hours,  that  he  fell  asleep 
in  Jesus." 

Great  Revival  in  New  York,  1831. — Says  Harlan  Page, 
under  date  af  January  24,  1831  :  "The  Lord  appears  now  to  be 
coming  down  on  all  parts  of  this  great  city,  to  arouse  his  children 
and  to  awaken  sinners.  Thousands  of  Christians  here  are,  I  think, 
praying  as  they  never  prayed  before.  Public  general  meetings  com- 
menced yesterday  afternoon,  and  are  to  be  continued  through  the 
week.  Conversions  are  occurring  in  all  parts  of  the  city.  Churches 
are  daily  crowded  to  overflowing,  and  a  most  fixed  and  solemn 
attention  is  given  to  the  dispensation  of  the  truth." 

This  was  then  said  to  be  by  far  the  most  signal  revival  of  religion 
ever  enjoyed  in  New  York.  As  the  fruits  of  which,  there  was  an 
accession  to  evangelical  churches  of  about  two  thousand  souls. 

V 

No  Hope. — At  a  meetmg  of  his  Sabbath-school  teachers, 
Harlan  Page  called  on  each  to  know  whether  he  thought  he  had  a 
well-grounded  hope  in  Christ  or  not,  and  recorded  their  several 
replies.  Among  them  was  an  amiable  young  merchant,  A.  E., 
whom  he  highly  respected,  and  who  seemed  not  far  from  the  king- 
dom of  God. 

"  Have  you  a  hope  ?"  he  tenderly  inquired. 

"  No  sir,"  was  the  reply. 


248  IcEMAEKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

"  Then  I'm  to  put  down  your  name  as  having  no  hope  ?" 

"  Yes  sir." 

"  Well,  I  write  down  your  name  as  having  no  hope/' 

The  young  man  pondered  on  this  decision  and  record  of  his  spiri- 
tual state,  was  troubled,  and  soon  came  to  our  brother,  saying,  ''  I 
told  you  to  put  me  down  as  having  no  hope,  but  I  can't  say  that." 
He  is  now  a  member  of  the  church,  and  a  decided  supporter  of  all 
her  institutions. 

The  Tract-house  Revival. — Among  the  letters  of  Harlan 
Page,  in  182 1,  occurs  the  following  passage :  "In  the  tract  and 
Bible  houses  we  have  lately  had  a  season  of  uncommon  interest.  A 
work  of  grace  commenced  a  few  weeks  since  among  the  young 
women  employed  in  the  two  houses  in  folding  and  stitching  Bibles 
and  tracts,  as  the  fruits  of  which  we  now  number  about  sixteen 
hopeful  conversions.  It  has  been  a  most  interesting  and  wonderful 
display  of  God's  power  and  grace.  On  one  day  seven  of  them  hope 
that  they  were  brought  from  nature's  darkness  into  the  light  and 
liberty  of  the  gospel.  That  was  one  of  the  most  interesting  days  of 
my  life.  Twice  or  thrice  I  was  sent  for  to  pray  with  them,  and  to 
take  the  hand  of  those  who  had  just  been  brought  to  bow  at  the 
Saviour's  feet,  while  with  tears  streaming  from  their  eyes,  they  ex- 
pressed the  hope  that  they  had  surrendered  themselves  entirely  to 
Him.  Two  of  these  had  thought  that  I  talked  too  severely,  and 
discouraged  them  ;  they  now  wished  to  thank  me  for  the  very  efforts 
in  their  behalf,  of  which  they  had  before  complained.  To  see  those 
who  were  brought  to  hope  in  Christ  clinging  around  their  former 
companions  in  sin,  and  with  tears  beseeching  them  to  come  at  once 
to  the  Saviour  they  had  found  so  precious,  was  enough  to  move  a 
heart  of  stone." 

In  a  subsequent  communication,  he  states  that  more  than  one 
hundred  young  women  were  then  employed  in  the  tract  and  Bible 
houses,  and  that  of  these  God  had  brought  "  between  fifty  and  sixty 
hopefully  into  his  kingdom.  One  of  them  was  convicted  by  means 
of  the  truths  which  caught  her  eye  while  folding  the  tract,  '  Day  of 
Judgment.' "  "  Many  sheets  of  the  word  of  God  and  tracts,"  he 
says,  "  as  they  have  been  folded  and  stitched,  have  been  moistened 


AND   REVIVAL   INCmENTS.  249 

with  the  tears  of  the  convicted  sinner  and  the  broken-hearted  peni- 
tent, and  thence  gone  out  on  errands  of  mercy  to  a  perishing  world. 
Every  day  at  twelve  o'clock,  the  females  of  each  of  the  two  houses 
devote  a  part  of  their  recess,  in  their  retired  rooms,  to  prayer  and 
praise  ;  and  on  every  Thursday  evening  we  have  a  general  meeting 
for  prayer  and  conference,  conducted  by  three  or  four  brethren,  the 
binder  and  printer  of  the  two  societies  cordially  taking  part  in  the 
same." 

The  Reward  Gained. — An  ancient  burgomaster,  travelling 
to  Germany,  stopped  at  an  inn  on  the  borders  of  that  country 
and  Holland.  He  observed  that  the  young  woman  who  laid 
the  cloth  and  made  other  preparations  for  his  supper  performed 
these  offices  neatly  and  with  much  alacrity,  and  he  commended 
her,  saying,  "  I  trust  that  while  you  show  yourself  so  care- 
ful in  the  performance  of  the  common  duties  "  of  your  station, 
you  are  not  less  diligent  in  observing  the  duties  and  privileges 
of  a  Christian."  The  girl,  who  was  quite  ignorant  of  religion,  re- 
plied by  asking  what  he  meant  ;  upon  which  he  entered  more  par- 
ticularly into  an  explanation  of  his  meaning,  dwelling  especially  on 
the  importance  of  prayer,  as  he  found  that  she  lived  in  entire  neglect 
of  it.  Her  countenance  and  manner  indicated  a  strict  adherence  to 
truth,  and  he  told  her  that  if  when  he  again  passed  through  the 
place  she  could  assure  him  that  she  had  knelt  down  every  night  and 
morning  and  uttered  a  short  prayer,  he  would  give  her  a  ten-guilder 
piece — a  gold  coin,  value  four  dollars.  After  some  hesitation  the 
girl  agreed,  and  asked  what  the  prayer  was,  the  repetition  of  which 
was  to  procure  her  a  larger  sum  than  she  had  ever  before  possessed 
at  one  time.  The  burgomaster  told  her,  '*  Lord  Jesus,  convert  my 
soul."  At  first  the  girl  hesitated,  and  thought  that  she  might  some- 
times omit  the  repetition  of  these  words,  the  full  meaning  of  which 
she  did  not  understand.  A  'better  feeling,  however,  induced  her  to 
continue,  and  also  to  inquire  the  meaning  of  these  words. 

About  six  months  afterwards  the  old  gentleman  returned  ;  he 
went  to  the  same  inn  ;  another  girl  laid  hia  supper-cloth  ;  he 
inquired  for  her  predecessor  in  vain.  He  then  asked  for  the  land- 
lord, who  told  him  that  five  months  back  the  girl  alluded  to  had 

11* 


250  REMARKABLE  CONVERSIONS 

been  seized  with  such  a  praying  fit  that  he  found  she  could  no 
longer  live  in  his  family,  and  that  she  was  then  living  with  a  private 
family  in  the  neighborhood.  In  the  morning  the  old  gentleman 
sought  her  out,  and  said  he  was  come  to  fulfill  his  promise.  She 
immediately  recognized  him,  but  decidedly  refused  his  offered  money, 
saying,  "1  have  found  a  reward  much  richer  than  any  sum  of 
gold." 

John  Dickson  and  his  Babe. — John  Dickson  was  a  farmer 
near  Edinburgh,  and  was  for  a  long  time  negligent  and  irreligious. 
It  pleased  God  to  take  away  his  wife,  and  it  became  necessary  for 
him  to  have  a  nurse  in  the  house,  who  happily  was  a  pious  woman. 
When  his  infant  daughter  was  about  twenty  months  old,  she  was  in 
the  room  with  her  father  and  several  of  his  profane  companions. 
Most  unexpectedly  the  child  repeated,  in  its  infantine  tones,  "  Oh, 
the  grace  of  God!''  an  exclamation  she  had  often  heard  from  her 
nurse.  The  attention  of  the  father  was  thus  excited,  the  Holy 
Spirit  led  him  to  deep  and  serious  reflection,  and  thus  was  his  con- 
version to  God  effected. 

Anecdote  of  Harlan  Page. — A  letter  from  a  young 
clergyman  says  :  "  The  name  of  Harlan  Page  will  ever  be  associated 
in  my  mind  with  all  that  is  worthy  of  imitation  in  the  Christian 
character.  By  the  persuasions  of  an  acquaintance,  I  was  induced  to 
engage  as  teacher  in  his  Sabbath-school,  and  though  I  was  then 
destitute  of  faith,  he  welcomed  me  and  won  my  confidence  and  love. 
Very  soon  he  began  to  address  me  with  the  utmost  apparent  tender- 
ness and  anxiety  in  reference  to  ray  own  salvation.  His  words  sunk 
deep  into  my  heart.  They  were  strange  words,,  for  though  I  had 
lived  among  professors  of  religion,  he  was  the  first  who  for  nine  or 
ten  years  had  taken  me  hy  the  hand  and  kindly  asked,  '  Are  you  a 
Christian  ?^  '  Do  you  hi  tend  to  be  a  Christian  V  '  Why  not  now  P 
Each  succeeding  Sabbath  brought  him  to  me  with  anxious  inquiries 
after  my  soul's  health.  On  the  third  or  fourth  Sabbath  he  gave  me 
the  tract,  '  Way  to  be  Saved,'  which  deepened  my  impressions.  At 
his  request,  I  also  attended  a  teacher's  prayer-meeting  conducted  by 
him,  where  my  soul  was  bowed  down  and  groaned  under  the  load 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  251 

of  my  guilt.  At  the  close  of  the  meeting  Mr.  Page  took  my  arm  as 
we  proceeded  on  our  way  to  our  respective  homes,  and  urged  upon 
me  the  duty  and  privilege  of  an  immediate  surrender  of  my  heart  to 
Christ,  As  we  were  about  to  part  he  held  my  hand,  and  at  the 
corner  of  the  street,  in  a  wintry  night,  stood  pleading  with  me  to 
repent  of  sin  and  submit  to  Grod.  I  returned  to  my  home,  and  for 
the  first  time  in  many  years  bowed  my  knees  in  my  chamber  before 
God,  and  entered  into  a  solemn  covenant  to  serve  him  henceforth  in 
and  through  the  gospel  of  his  Son." 

The  Dying  Father's  Request. — A  few  years  since  a  gen- 
tleman died  who  had  for  twenty  years  held  on  his  course  as  a  con- 
sistent, exemplary  Christian.  His  only  son  possessed  the  exterior 
embellishments  which  attract  and  please — a  noble  form  and  elegant 
manners,  and  all  the  accomplishments  which  grace  the  convivial 
circle,  the  ballroom,  and  other  places  of  fashionable  resort;  but  he 
was  an  infidel  in  principle,  a  libertine  in  practice,  and  held  the  reli- 
gion of  the  Bible  in  utter  contempt.  The  amiable  parent  sickened 
and  drew  nigh  to  the  gates  of  death,  and  the  votary  of  dissipation 
was  called  to  witness  the  last  struggle.  Grasping  the  hand  of  the 
young  man,  and  with  his  eye  fixed  steadily  upon  him,  the  departing 
saint  urged  him  to  weigh  well  the  scene  before  him,  to  anticipate  his 
own  dissolution,  and  to  be  assured  that  the  same  foundation  which 
his  dying  father  had  built  upon,  and  the  same  hope  which  he  had  so 
long  cherished,  could  alone  render  death  tolerable  and  eternity 
happy. 

The  parent  died  and  was  buried,  and  the  surviving  son  having  an 
increase  of  property,  with  proportioned  avidity  rushed  on  to  destruc- 
tion. A  note  penned  by  his  departed  parent  a  few  weeks  prior  to 
his  decease,  containing  a  solemn  injunction  that  he  would  on  some 
suitable  occasion  retire  to  the  room  in  which  his  father  died  and 
read  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  St.  Luke,  fell  into  his  hands.  This 
was  soon  forgotten;  but  at  length,  after  a  year  had  elapsed,  on  a 
gloomy  Sabbath  morning  in  November,  he  carelessly  sauntered  into 
the  chamber  to  look  at  his  late  parent's  portrait,  and  kill  the  time 
until  he  should  join  a  gay  party  at  a  hotel.  There  parental  affec- 
tion seemed  still  to  smile  in  the  well-depicted  features  of  his  deceased 


252  REMARKABLE   COlfTVERSIONS 

father;  there  was  the  bed  on  which  "  the  pains,  the  groans,  and 
dying  strife "  were  exchanged  for  the  anthems  and  praises  of  the 
heavenly  world  ;  and  there,  too,  was  the  chair  and  the  table  on 
which  stood  the  valuable  family  Bible,  over  the  contents  of  which 
the  sainted  relative  had  so  often  prayed.  Here  he  sat  down.  A 
host  of  overpowering  recollections  rushed  upon  his  mind  ;  a  pale 
procession  of  past  sins  appeared  before  him,  and  like  spectres  whis- 
pered in  his  ear,  "Judgment."  The  note  referred  to  came  to  mind, 
and  was  read.  The  chapter  spoken  of  was  read  too,  and  that  pro- 
claimed "mercy."  The  dinner-party  were  left  to  their  festivity 
without  his  presence.  The  conviction  flashed  upon  his  mind  for  the 
first  time,  that  his  departed  parent  had  died  cheered  by  hopes  that 
were  now  about  to  be  realized.  He  groaned,  he  wept,  he  prayed. 
For  some  weeks  he  applied  diligently  to  the  study  of  the  Scriptures, 
and  afterwards  adorned  domestic  life  by  discharging  its  duties,  and 
honored  a  Christian  profession  by  a  course  of  useful  and  devoted 
service  to  his  Maker. 

The  Hour  Alone  with  God. — A  pious  and  venerable  father 
had  a  vain  and  profligate  son  ;  often  had  he  reasoned  and  expostu- 
lated with  him,  mingling  tenderness  with  advice  and  tears  with 
remonstrance,  but  all  was  ineffectual.  Bad  company  and  vicious 
habits  rendered  the  unhappy  youth  deaf  to  instructions.  At  last  a 
fatal  disorder  seized  his  aged  parent,  who,  calling  his  son  to  him, 
entreated  him  with  his  dying  breath  that  he  would  grant  him  one 
small  favor,  the  priamise  of  which  would  alleviate  the  pangs  of  dis- 
solving nature.  It  was  this  :  that  his  son  would  retire  to  his  cham- 
ber half  an  hour  every  day  for  some  months  after  his  decease.  He 
prescribed  no  particular  subject  to  employ  his  thoughts,  but  left 
that  to  himself. 

A  request  so  simple  and  easy,  urged  by  parental  affection  from 
the  couch  of  death,  was  not  to  be  denied.  The  youth  pledged  his 
honor  for  the  fulfillment  of  his  promise,  and  when  he  became  an 
orphan  punctually  performed  it.  At  first  he  was  not  disposed  to 
improve  the  minutes  of  solitude,  but  in  time  various  reflections  arose 
in  his  mind  ;  the  world  was  withdrawn  ;  his  conscience  awoke  ;  it 
reproved  him  for  having  slighted  a  parent  who  had  done  so  much 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  253 

for  bis  welfare  ;  it  renewed  the  impression  of  his  dying  scene  ;  it 
gradually  pointed  him  to  a  supreme  cause,  a  future  judgment,  and  a 
solemn  eternity.  God  was  pleased  to  sanctify  these  solitary  mo- 
ments, and  to  strengthen  his  convictions.  Retirement  effected  what 
advice  could  not  do,  and  a  real  and  permanent  change  took  place. 
He  quitted  his  companions,  and  reformed  his  conduct ;  virtue  and 
piety  filled  up  the  rest  of  his  days,  and  stamped  sincerity  on  his 
repentance.     To  say  all  in  a  word,  he  lived  and  died  a  Christian. 

Admiral  Williams. — The  late  Admiral  Williams,  when  a 
young  man,  was  gay,  and  so  addicted  to  expensive  pleasures,  that 
no  remonstrances  could  reclaim  him.  When  his  father  died,  he  met 
with  the  rest  of  the  family  to  hear  the  will  read.  His  name  did  not 
occur  among  the  other  children,  and  he  supposed  the  omission  was 
a  mark  of  his  father's  resentment  against  him.  At  the  close  of  it, 
however,  he  found  that  he  was  mentioned  as  residuary  legatee,  in 
these  words  :  "  All  the  rest  of  my  estate  and  effects  I  leave  to  my 
son  Peere  Williams,  knowing  that  he  will  spend  it  all." 

On  hearing  this  he  burst  into  tears.  "  My  father,"  said  he,  "  has 
touched  the  right  string,  and  his  reproach  shall  not  be  thrown 
away."  His  conduct  from  that  time  was  altered,  and  he  became  an 
honor  to  the  Christian  profession. 

Rev.  Richajrd  Cecil. — "  My  first  convictions  on  the  subject 
of  religion,"  says  the  late  Rev.  Richard  Cecil,  "  were  confirmed  by 
observing  that  really  religious  persons  had  some  solid  happiness 
among  them  which  I  felt  the  vanities  of  the  world  could  not  give. 
I  shall  never  forget  standing  by  the  bedside  of  my  sick  mother. 
'  Are  you  not  afraid  to  die  V  I  asked.  '  No.'  '  No  1  Why  does 
the  uncertainty  of  another  state  give  you  no  concern  ?'  '  Because 
God  has  said,  '*  Fear  not :  when  thou  passest  through  the  waters,  I 
will  be  with  thee  ;  and  through  the  rivers,  they  shall  not  overflow 
thee.' "     *  Let  me  die  the  death  of  the  righteous.'  " 

The  Po"wer  of  Consistency. — Mr.  Innes,  in  his  work  on 
Domestic  Religion,  mentions  a  fact  strikingly  illustrative  of  the 
power  of  consistent  conduct.     A  young  man,   when  about  to  be 


254  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

ordained  as  a  Christian  minister,  stated  that  at  one  period  of  his  life 
he  had  been  nearly  betrayed  into  the  principles  of  infidelity  ;  "  but," 
he  added,  "  there  was  one  argument  in  favor  of  Christianity  which  I 
could  never  refute — the  consistent  conduct  of  my  own  father." 

A  Minister's  Son. — A  Christian  minister  in  Somersetshire,  a 
few  years  ago  stated,  that  on  the  evening  when  the  first  permanent 
impressions  were  made  on  his  mind,  his  pious  mother  was  detained 
at  home.  She  spent  the  time  devoted  to  public  worship  in  secret 
prayer  for  the  salvation  of  her  son  ;  and  so  fervent  did  she  become 
in  these  intercessions,  that  she  fell  on  her  face  and  remained  in  fer- 
vent supplication  till  the  service  had  nearly  closed.  Her  son, 
brought  under  the  deepest  impressions  by  the  sermon  of  his  father, 
went  into  a  field  after  the  service,  and  there  pra,yed  fervently  for  him. 
self.  When  he  came  home,  his  mother  looked  at  her  son  with  a 
manifest  concern,  anxious  to  discover  whether  her  prayers  had  been 
heard,  and  whether  her  son  had  commenced  the  all-important  in- 
quiry, "  What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved  ?"  In  a  few  days  the  son  gave 
evidence  that  he  was  the  subject  of  religious  impressions — ^impres- 
sions whicli  lay  the  foundation  of  all  excellence  of  character  here, 
and  of  all  blessedness  hereafter. 

The  Mutilated  Bible. — A  father  residing  not  far  from  Co- 
lumbia, was  about  sending  his  son  to  the  South  Carolina  college. 
But  as  he  knew  the  influence  to  which  he  would  be  exposed,  he  was 
not  without  a  deep  and  anxious  solicitude  for  the  spiritual  and  eter- 
nal welfare  of  his  favorite  child.  Fearing  lest  the  principles  of  the 
Christian  faith  which  he  had  endeavored  to  instill  into  his  mind  would 
be  rudely  assailed,  but  trusting  in  the  efficacy  of  that  word  which  is 
quick  and  powerful,  and  sharper  than  any  two-edged  sword,  he  pur- 
chased, unknown  to  his  son,  an  elegant  copy  of  the  Bible,  and  depo- 
sited it  at  the  bottom  of  his  trunk.  The  young  man  entered  upon 
his  college  career.  The  restraints  of  a  pious  education  were  soon 
broken  ofi",  and  he  proceeded  from  speculation  to  doubts,  and  from 
doubts  to  a  denial  of  the  reality  of  religion. 

After  having  become,  in  his  own  estimation,  wiser  than  his  father, 
he  discovered  one  day  while  examining  his  trunk,  with  great  sur- 


AJSTD   KEVIVAL   mCIDENTS.  255 

prise  and  indignation,  the  sacred  deposit.  He  took  it  out,  and  while 
deliberating  on  the  manner  in  which  he  should  treat  it,  he  deter- 
mined that  he  would  use  it  as  waste-paper,  on  which  to  wipe  his 
razor  when  shaving.  Accordingly,  every  time  he  went  to  shave  he 
tore  out  a  leaf  or  two  of  the  holy  book,  and  thus  used  it  till  nearly 
half  the  volume  was  destroyed.  But  while  he  was  committing  the 
outrage  upon  the  sacred  book,  a  text  now  and  then  met  his  eye,  and 
was  carried  like  a  barbed  arrow  to  his  heart.  At  length  he  heard 
a  sermon  which  discovered  to  him  his  own  character  and  his  expo- 
sure to  the  wrath  of  God,  and  riveted  upon  his  mind  the  impression 
which  he  had  received  from  the  last  torn  leaf  of  the  blessed,  yet  in- 
sulted volume.  Had  thousands  been  at  his  disposal,  he  would  freely 
have  given  them  all,  could  they  have  availed  in  enabling  him  to 
undo  what  he  had  done.  At  length  he  found  forgiveness  at  the  foot 
of  the  cross.  The  torn  leaves  of  that  sacred  volume  brought  healing 
to  his  soul,  for  they  led  him  to  repose  on  the  mercy  of  God,  which 
is  sufficient  for  the  chief  of  sinners. 

A  Profligate  Son  passed  by. — Mr.  Nathan  Davies,  the 
eldest  son  of  a  respectable  Christian  minister  in  Wales,  was  a  youth 
of  wild  and  dissolute  conduct,  and  thereby  occasioned  much  grief  to 
his  pious  parents.  Neither  the  mild  nor  the  severe  methods  used  to 
reclaim  him  had  the  desired  effect.  At  length  a  period  arrived 
when  the  aged  and  venerable  father  must  die,  and,  like  Jacob,  he 
desired  that  his  children  should  be  called  to  his  bedside  to  receive 
his  dying  admonitions.  Having  addressed  them  all  one  by  one,  ex- 
cept the  profligate  son,  in  a  very  aJBfectionate  and  solemn  manner, 
he  concluded  by  warning  them  to  shun  the  bad  example  and  wicked 
ways  of  their  eldest  brother,  and  advised  them  to  act  towards  him 
with  caution  and  forbearance  ;  adding,  that  he  feared  they  would 
experience  from  him  nothing  but  sorrow  and  trouble.  He  then  dis- 
missed them,  and  soon  after  died. 

The  circumstance  of  the  father's  silence  made  a  deeper  impression 
on  the  mind  of  Nathan  than  all  the  reproofs  and  exhortations  he 
had  before  received,  and,  to  use  his  own  expression,  he  thought  at  the 
time  that  his  heart  would  have  burst.  He  was  then  about  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age,  and  through  the  divine  blessing  a  great  change 


256  REMARKABLE  CONTEESIONS 

became  visible  in  him  ;  he  abandoned  his  former  ways  and  compa- 
nions, became  a  serious  hearer  of  the  word,  and  in  a  short  time  a 
member  of  the  church  over  which  his  late  father  had  been  pastor. 
A  few  years  afterwards  he  was  called  to  the  ministry,  succeeded  his 
father  in  the  pastoral  office,  and  was  blessed  in  it  with  eminent  suc- 
cess until  the  day  of  his  death,  which  took  place  in  the  year  It 26. 

Sufficiency  of  the  Bible. — The  following  narrative  is  from 
the  Rev.  Samuel  Marsden,  an  excellent  clergyman  in  New  South 
Wales  : 

"  Some  time  ago  I  was  called  to  visit  a  young  woman  about 
twenty  years  of  age,  who  was  extremely  ill,  and  who  much  wished 
to  see  me  before  she  died.  On  my  arrival  at  her  father's  house,  I 
found  her  heavily  afflicted  ;  and  death  appeared  to  be  at  no  great 
distance.  I  sat  by  her  bedside  with  the  Bible  in  my  hand,  expect- 
ing to  find  her,  as  I  have  too  often  found  others  in  similar  circum- 
stances, ignorant  of  the  first  principles  of  religion.  I  read  a  portion 
of  this  sacred  book  to  her,  and  was  most  agreeably  surprised  to  find 
that  she  understood  not  only  the  letter,  but  the  spirit  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. I  asked  her  father  how  she  became  so  well  acquainted  with 
the  word  of  God.  He  said  he  did  not  know  ;  she  was  always  read- 
ing her  Bible  at  every  opportunity,  and  sometimes  sat  up  all  night 
for  that  purpose.  He  observed  she  was  a  very  dutiful  daughter  ;  he 
had  a  large  family,  and  she  being  the  eldest,  and  very  industrious, 
was  of  great  service  to  her  mother  and  the  younger  branches  of  the 
family  ;  the  only  indulgence  she  required  was  to  be  allowed  to  read 
the  Bible  when  her  work  was  done.  But  he  could  not  account  for 
her  attachment  to  it  ;  and  it  seemed  very  strange  to  him  that  she 
should  attend  to  it  so  much.  I  asked  him  if  she  was  in  the  habit  oi 
going  to  church,  as  I  did  not  personally  know  her.  He  said  sh(; 
went  sometimes,  but  was  generally  prevented,  from  the  distance  and 
the  large  family  she  had  to  attend  to. 

"  This  young  woman  may  be  said  to  have  obtained  her  religion 
wholly  from  the  Bible.  None  of  the  family  knew  anything  of  the 
Scriptures  but  herself.  I  visited  her  during  the  whole  of  her  illness, 
from  the  time  she  sent  for  me  until  she  fell  asleep  in  Jesiis.  Her 
faith  was  simple,  her  view  of  the  way  of  salvation  clear.     She  gave 


Ain>  REVIVAL  mOIDENTS.  §8^ 

me  many  proofs  of  this  in  the  various  conversations  which  I  had  with 
her  during  her  sickness.  The  Bible  was  more  precious  to  her  than 
gold  ;  she  had  found  it,  under  the  influences  of  the  divine  Spirit,  her 
counsellor  and  her  guide  ;  and  by  it  she  had  been  brought  to  a 
knowledge  of  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  he  hath 
sent ;  and  hereby  was  she  filled  with  a  hope  full  of  immortality.  Pre- 
viously to  her  last  illness  she  had  enjoyed  good  health  ;  it  was  in 
the  prime  of  youth  and  vigor  she  had  read  her  Bible  and  loved  it, 
so  that  she  had  not  to  seek  God  for  the  first  time  in  this  trying 
moment,  but  found  him  a  present  help  in  sickness  and  at  the 
approach  of  death.  The  Bible  had  testified  of  Christ  to  her  ;  she 
had  found  eternal  life  in  it,  and  the  divine  promises  were  both  great 
and  precious  to  her  soul.'* 

Sergeant  Forbes  and  Whitefield.— Many  years  ago,  in  a 
regiment  of  soldiers  stationed  at  Edinburgh,  there  was  a  sergeant 
named  Forbes,  a  very  abandoned  man,  who  got  in  debt  for  liquor 
wherever  he  could.  His  wife  washed  for  the  regiment,  and  thus 
obtained  a  little  money.  She  was  a  pious  woman,  but  all  her 
attempts  to  reclaim  him  were  long  unsuccessful.  During  one  of 
Mr.  Whitefield's  visits  to  that  city,  she  offered  her  husband  a  sum  of 
money  if  he  would  for  once  go  and  hear  him.  This  was  a  strong 
inducement,  and  he  engaged  to  go.  The  sermon  was  in  a  field,  aa 
no  building  could  have  contained  the  audience.  The  sergeant  was 
rather  early,  and  placed  himself  in  the  middle  of  the  field,  that  he 
might  file  off  when  Mr.  Whitefield  ascended  the  pulpit,  as  he  only 
wished  to  be  able  to  say  that  he  had  seen  him.  The  crowd  how- 
ever increased,  and  when  Mr.  "Whitefield  appeared  they  pressed  for- 
ward, and  he  found  it  impossible  to  get  away.  The  prayer  produced 
some  impression  on  his  mind,  but  the  sermon  most  deeply  convinced 
him  of  his  sinfulness  and  danger.  He  became  an  altered  man,  and 
proved  the  reality  of  his  conversion  by  living  for  many  years  with 
the  strictest  economy,  in  order  to  liquidate  the  claims  of  every  one 
of  his  creditors. 

A  Sailor's  Narrative. — A  few  years  ago,  on  a  voyage  to 
the  northwest  coast,  a  young  man  sauntering  on  deck,  observing 


EEMAKKABLE  CONVERSIONS 

one  of  the  sailors  more  sedate  than  his  companions,  stepped  ap  to 
him  and  abruptly  asked  him,  "  George,  are  you  not  a  Christia,n  ?" 
His  countenance  brightened  up  as  he  replied,  "  I  trust  that  I  am  ;  I 
think  I  can  testify  to  the  goodness  of  God  in  giving  his  Son  to  die 
for  me."  The  manner  in  which  he  uttered  this  sentence  interested 
his  companion,  who  requested  to  know  his  history.  His  reply  in 
substance  was  as  follows  : 

''  I  have  always  been  a  sailor.  My  father  was  a  sailor  before  me. 
My  mother  was  a  pious  woman,  and  whenever  I  went  on  shore  to 
see  her  she  used  to  say  a  great  many  things  to  me  about  my  soul. 
I  paid  no  attention  to  them,  but  lived  as  though  I  had  no  soul.  I 
was  a  fool,  as  I  said  in  my  heart,  '  There  is  no  God.'  Boldly  did  I 
profane  the  name  of  Him  who  says,  '  The  Lord  will  not  hold  him 
guiltless  that  taketh  his  name  in  vain.'  My  frame  trembles  when  I 
look  back  upon  those  days  of  sin  and  daring.  In  the  midst  of 
storms  at  sea,  when  the  thunders  and  lightnings  were  abroad,  faint 
emblems  of  the  wrath  of  God,  and  when  high  upon  the  mast,  or 
out  on  the  yards,  in  imminent  peril  of  being  plunged  into  the  deep,  I 
have  called  upon  God  to  curse  my  soul. 

"  Thus  I  went  on  from  year  to  year,  till  I  entered  a  ship  com- 
manded by  a  pious  captain.  He  was  a  good  man,  and  did  much  for 
the  good  of  his  crew.  He  read  the  Scriptures  to  us,  and  prayed 
with  us.  After  some  time,  however,  I  began  to  tremble.  The 
word  of  God  convinced  me  of  sin,  and  of  righteousness,  and  of 
judgment  to  come.  I  saw  my  danger,  and  felt  it  too.  My  sins 
came  up  before  me,  and  appeared  as  mountains  that  must  forever 
separate  me  from  peace  and  happiness.  I  was  a  miserable  man,  and 
thought  I  must  always  be  so.  At  last  I  opened  my  heart  to  the 
captain.  He  felt  for  me,  and  told  me  of  the  mercy  of  God  in  Christ 
Jesus.  With  tears  in  his  eyes,  he  directed  me  to  '  behold  the  Lamb 
of  God,  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world.  My  heart  broke, 
tears  of  penitence  ran  down  my  cheeks  ;  my  faith  took  hold  on  the 
Son  of  God.  He  poured  the  oil  of  joy  and  peace  into  my  broken 
heart,  and  bound  up  my  bleeding  wounds.  I  felt  that  I  was  a  new 
creature.  With  the  cup  of  salvation  in  my  hand,  I  called  on  tha 
name  of  the  Lord.  Oh,  that  all  would  come  to  the  waters  and 
drink  from  these  wells  of  salvation." 


AND  REVIVAL  IKCroENTS.  259 

At  this  time  the  young  man  who  had  elicited  this  narrative  was 
uot  truly  religious.  The  narrative  of  the  sailor,  given  with  simpli- 
city and  deep  emotion,  went  to  his  heart  and  brought  him  to  the 
feet  of  his  Saviour.  He  soon  after  publicly  professed  his  faith  in 
Christ. 

A  Missionary  Convert. — "  Do  you  remember,"  said  an 
Indian  convert  to  a  missionary,  "  that  a  few  years  ago  a  party  of 
warriors  came  to  the  vicinity  of  the  tribe  to  whom  you  preach,  and 
pretending  friendship,  invited  the  chief  of  the  tribe  to  hold  a  talk 
with  them  ?" 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  missionary,  "  I  remember  it  very  well." 

"  Do  you  remember,"  continued  the  Indian,  "  that  the  chief, 
fearing  treachery,  instead  of  going  himself,  sent  one  of  his  warriors 
to  hold  the  talk  ?" 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reply. 

"And  do  you  remember,"  proceeded  the  Indian,  "that  warrior 
never  returned,  but  that  he  was  murdered  by  those  who,  with 
promises  of  friendship,  had  led  him  into  their  snare  ?" 

*'  I  remember  it  all  very  well,"  replied  the  missionary. 

"  Well,"  the  Indian  continued,  weeping  with  emotion,  "  I  was  one 
of  that  band  of  warriors.  As  soon  as  our  victim  was  in  the  midst 
of  us,  we  fell  upon  him  with  our  tomahawks  and  cut  him  to  j^ieces." 

This  man  became  one  of  the  most  influential  members  of  the 
Christian  church,  and  reflected  with  horror  upon  these  scenes  in 
which  he  formerly  exulted.  He  gave  his  influence  and  his  prayers, 
that  there  might  be  glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  peace  on  earth  and 
good  will  among  men. 

Getting  Respectability. — Some  years  ago  a  sailor  m 
London,  on  going  to  a  pawnbroker's  shop  to  pledge  some  articles, 
saw  a  Bible  lying  on  the  counter,  and  inquired,  with  apparent 
interest,  "  What  book  is  that  ?"  To  which  he  was  answered, 
"That  book  is  a  Bible."  "A  Bible?"  said  the  sailor;  "why,  I 
should  very  much  like  to  have  a  Bible."  At  this  remark,  the  curi- 
osity of  the  shopman  was  somewhat  excited,  and  he  consequently 
inquired,  "  But  can  you  read  the  Bible  if  you  have  it  ?"     "  Read  ? 


262  eemaekjlble  conversions 

An  only  Daughter's  Death. — An  intelligeut  writer  men- 
tions the  conversion  of  a  man  of  the  world,  which,  as  far  as  means 
were  concerned,  owed  its  existence  to  the  following  circumstances  : 
God  laid  his  hand  on  a  lovely,  and  I  think,  an  only  daughter,  and 
the  affliction  terminated  in  death.  When  the  terrible  moment 
arrived  in  which  the  idol  of  his  affections  must  die,  he  stood  at  the 
head  of  her  bed  almost  frantic  with  grief,  and  having  no  consolation 
above  what  nature  and  education  supplied,  as  is  frequently  the  case, 
his  grief  terminated  in  rage  :  he  was  almost  ready  to  curse  the  God 
who,  as  he  thought,  could  be  so  cruel  as  to  deprive  him  of  so  dear  a 
child.  His  wife,  an  amiable  and  sensible  woman,  at  the  same  time 
stood  at  the  foot  of  the  bed.  Her  eyes  were  suffused  with  tears, 
her  hands  lifted  to  heaven,  and  while  every  feature  spoke  the 
feelings  of  her  soul,  she  exclaimed,  "  The  will  of  the  Lord  be  done  ! 
The  will  of  the  Lord  be  done  I"  These  exclamations  very  naturally 
called  the  attention  of  her  frantic  husband  from  their  dying  daughter 
to  herself,  and  as  he  afterwards  confessed,  he  was  on  the  point 
of  wreaking  his  vengeance  on  what  he  then  considered  an  unfeeling 
wife,  and  an  unnatural,  hard-hearted  mother. 

After  a  while,  however,  the  storm  of  passion  gave  place  to  reflec- 
tion. He  was  a  man  of  eminence  at  the  bar,  a  colonel  in  the  army; 
he  prided  himself  on  being  a  philosopher,  and  he  was  there  led  to 
examine  how  his  courage  and  philosophy  had  supported  him  in  the 
day  of  trial.  Here  he  saw  reason  to  reflect  on  his  conduct  with 
shame;  the  more  so  as  he  contrasted  it  with  the  conduct  of  his 
amiable  and  pious  partner.  "  How  is  this  ?"  he  could  not  but 
exclaim:  "I  am  a  man  and  a  soldier.  I  boast  of  my  courage,  and 
pride  myself  in  philosophy,  in  which  I  am  versed,  as  being  equal  to 
the  support  of  man  in  every  emergency.  But  in  the  hour  of  trial  I 
acted  an  unworthy  part.  My  wife,  a  delicate  female,  and,  notwith- 
standing my  suspicions  to  the  contrary,  one  of  the  most  affectionate 
of  mothers,  was  alone  the  magnanimous  sufferer  on  this  trying  occa- 
sion. What,  under  circumstances  so  directly  opposite,  could  lead 
to  such  contrary  results?"  "  She  is  a  Christian,"  said  a  still,  small 
voice,  "and  I  am  not;  surely  the  secret  is  here."  This  train  of 
thought  led  to  the  most  pleasing  consequences.  He  concluded  that 
there  must  be  a  reality  in  that  religion  which  he  had  hitherto 


AND  REVIVAL  INCIDENTS.  263 

despised;  and  if  so,  that  was  the  one  thing  needful.  He  conferred 
not  with  flesh  and  blood;  but  immediately  began  to  seek  the  conso- 
lations of  true  religion,  and  ere  long  found 

"  What  nothing  earthly  gives,  or  can  destroy, 
The  soul's  calm  sunshine  and  the  heartfelt  joy." 

Praying  Mothers.— During  the  great  revival  of  1831,  in 
New  York,  Harlan  Page  writes:  "A  case  occurred  last  week  of 
special  encouragement  to  praying  parents.  At  the  close  of  the 
afternoon  exercises,  a  meeting  for  religious  inquirers  was  held  in  the 
lecture-room,  and  a  few  professors  who  lived  at  a  distance  stayed  in 
the  church  till  the  evening  service.  Among  them  were  two  mothers, 
who,  though  strangers  to  each  other,  agreed  to  go  to  a  retired  pew, 
and  spend  the  season  in  prayer.  As  the  question  arose  what  they 
should  pray  for,  one  said,  '  I  have  a  daughter  who  has  no  hope. 
The  other  replied,  '  So  have  I  an  only  daughter,  and  she  is  now  in 
the  inquiry-meeting,  and  we  will  pray  for  them.^  They  kneeled, 
and  while  they  were  still  praying,  one  of  the  daughters  came,  found 
her  mother,  and,  as  soon  as  she  could  do  it  without  interrupting 
her,  took  her  by  the  hand,  saying,  '  Oh,  my  mother,  I  hope  I  have 
found  Christ  to  be  precious.^  They  all  knelt  again  in  prayer,  and 
offered  their  united  thanksgiving  to  God.  The  other  daughter  was 
hopefully  converted  on  the  following  day." 

"Pulling  them  out  of  the  Fire." — In  the  memoirs  of 
Harlan  Page  occurs  the  following  instance  of  a  final  and  almost  des- 
perate effort  to  reach  the  heart  of  one  whose  case  seemed  nearly 
hopeless. 

To  Miss  N.  R. 

"  The  remark  has  often  been  made,  that  *  it  will  do  no  good  to 
converse  with  N.  R.  on  her  state  as  a  sinner;  and  you  have  proba- 
bly yourself  been  brought  to  the  same  conclusion. 

"  I  take  my  pen  to  say  a  few  words  more  to  you,  trembling  lest 
it  should  only  be  the  means  of  hardening  you  in  sin.  All  motives 
from  this  world  would  lead  me  at  once  to  desist.  But  when  I  look 
to  a  dying  hour,  and  a  little  beyond,  into  an  unchanging  eternity,  T 


264:  EEMAEKABLE  COIJTEESIONS 

feel  irresistibly  impelled  once  more  to  expostulate  with  a  perishing 
fellow-sinner.  I  beg  you  to  receive  it  in  kindness,  and  as  probably 
the  last  lines  or  words  addressed  to  you  personally,  which  you  will 
ever  read  or  hear  from  me  while  you  continue  professedly  the  enemy 
of  God. 

"  And  now,  what  shall  I  say  ?  Will  you  accompany  me  to  that 
silent  room  ?  Here  lies  a  young  lady  wasted  by  disease,  and  just 
on  the  confines  of  eternity.  Approach  her — the  paleness  of  death  is 
on  her  cheek.  Take  her  by  the  hand — why  start  at  its  icy  cold- 
ness ?  it  is  but  kindred  dust.  Listen  to  her  tale.  '  Alas,  my  friend, 
I  am  dying — I  am  dying  I  My  day  of  grace  is  over  ;  my  sands  are 
almost  run.  In  a  few  moments  I  shall  be  enveloped  in  devouring 
fire.  I  have  lived  in  sin,  rejected  Christ,  and  now  he  hides  his  face 
from  me,  and  there  is  no  remedy.  Oh,  how  have  Christians  plead 
with  me  to  make  God  my  portion  ;  but  I  would  not  listen.  I 
accused  God  of  injustice,  quarrelled  with  that  sovereign  love  that 
would  have  wooed  my  heart ;  resisted  the  Holy  Spirit  that  was 
teaching  me  my  lost  condition,  and  pressing  me  to  accept  of  Christ. 
He  called,  but  I  refused  ;  and  now  he  is  withdrawn  from  me  forever. 
Oh,  my  friend,  take  warning  from  me.  While  you  have  the  offers  of 
mercy  flee,  to  Christ.  Make  haste.  Delay  not  a  moment,  lest  you 
mingle  your  cries  with  me  in  the  bottomless  pit.' 

"  Can  you  look  at  this  melancholy  picture  and  not  apply  it  to 
yourself?  Death  is  even  now  at  the  door.  There  is  no  time  to 
parley  with  Satan  or  your  own  heart.  Heaven  must  be  gained 
soon,  or  not  at  all.  Christ  now  stands  at  the  door  and  knocks. 
Oh,  N.,  say  not  again,  depart. 

"  That  you  may  bid  Him  a  cordial  welcome,  is  the  earnest  prayer 
of  your  affectionate  friend, 

"  H.  Page." 

The  individual  to  whom  this  moving  appeal  was  addressed,  relates 
the  following  sequel :  "  I  had  long  been  awakened,  but  determined 
to  let  no  one  know  it,  and  made  every  effort  to  escape  Mr.  Page* 
At  length,  near  the  close  of  November,  I  attended  a  little  meeting 
where  I  believe  all  were  indulging  a  hope  except  my  brother  and 
myself.     After  conversing  with  my  brother,  he  came  to  me,  and 


AND  REVIVAL  INCIDENTS.  265 

wished  me  to  tell  him  the  state  of  my  mind.  I  at  first  said  that  I 
was  in  despair,  but  from  the  manner  of  his  reply  perceived  that  he 
did  not  give  full  credit  to  my  assertion.  This  roused  my  resent- 
ment, and  I  at  once  determined  not  to  speak  again  while  he 
remained  in  the  room.  He  pressed  me  to  decide  that  I  would  with- 
out delay  give  my  heart  to  Christ,  but  I  was  so  angry  that  I  would 
not  even  answer  him.  This  conversation  brought  the  malignity  of 
my  heart  more  clearly  to  my  own  view  than  I  had  ever  seen  it 
before.  I  could  never  have  imagined  myself  to  indulge  such  malice 
as  I  then  felt  towards  him,  and  my  misery  was  that  I  could  assign 
no  other  reason  for  it  but  his  faithfulness.  Soon,  as  I  trust,  God 
was  pleased  to  subdue  my  enmity,  and  my  hatred  to  Mr.  Page  was 
at  once  changed  to  love,  for  I  saza  in  him  the  image  of  my  blessed 
Redeemer^ 

Judson  Forbes.— On  the  second  day  of  June,  1856,  I  was 
called  to  the  United  States  Marine  Hospital  to  see  a  dying  man, 
who  had  requested  an  interview  with  me.  Kneeling  by  his  side,  I 
asked,  ''  Do  you  know  me  ?" 

"  Yes,  Father  Taylor." 

"  Well,  my  dear  friend,  what  can  I  do  for  you  V 

"  Oh,  I  want  to  know  what  I  must  do  to  be  saved.  I  am  a  great 
sinner.     I  know  not  what  I  shall  do." 

"  Have  you  long  felt  yourself  to  be  a  great  sinner  ?" 

"  Ever  since  I  left  home,  a  mere  boy,  and  went  to  sea,  my 
mother's  prayers  have  been  ringing  in  my  ears.  She  used  to  pray 
with  me  every  night.  I  have  often  thought  what  a  dreadful  thing 
it  is  to  be  a  sinner,  after  having  the  instructions  of  such  a  mother. 
I  have  often  desired  to  have  religion,  but  at  sea  I  had  poor  oppor- 
tunities, and  did  not  know  how  to  obtain  it.  For  some  months  past 
I  have  been  in  great  distress  of  mind,  but  I  have  had  no  ons  to 
teach  me  the  way.  I  have  been  trying  to  pray,  but  I  get  worse 
and  wors€.  For  several  days  past  I  have  felt  such  a  load  of  sin 
that  it  seems  sometimes  that  my  heart  would  burst." 

"  Do  you  think,"  said  I,  ''  that  you  hate  your  sins,  not  only  on 
account  of  their  consequences  to  you,  but  because  they  were  perpe- 
trated against  a  wise  and  merciful  God  ?" 

12 


266  REMARKABLE   COX^'EKSIOXS 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  '*  and  I  give  up  all  to  him. 

"  Even  if  you  knew  you  would  get  well,"  continued  I,  "  too 
would  consecrate  your  heart  and  life  wholly  to  him,  and  living  or 
d^iug,  be  the  Lord's  without  reserve?'' 

*'  Yes,"  said  he,  "  I  only  desire  to  live  that  I  may  serve  him." 

"  Do  you  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  died  to  redeem  you  from  sin  ?^ 

"  I  da" 

"Poyou  believe  that  God  the  Father  accepts  the  price  which 
Jesus  paid  for  you  ?" 

'•  I  do." 

"  You  believe,  then,  though  guilty,  bankrupt,  and  condemned,  that 
on  Christ's  account  you  may  to-day  obtain  the  pardon  of  all  your  sius  V 

"  Yes,  I  do." 

**  Are  you  not  glad  that  you  have  such  an  almighty  and  sympa- 
thizing Saviour  on  whom  you  may  cast  all  your  sius  and  sorrows  ?" 

"  I  am  glad." 

*'  You  are  trusting  in  him  now,  are  you  not  ?" 

"  Yes  ;"  and  contiuued,  ''  Oh  !  oh  !  oh  !''  the  tears  streaming  down 
his  sunken  cheeks,  "  I  never  felt  so  before.  I  feel  such  a  load  taken 
off  my  heart.  I  feel  that  I  could  fly  away  to  the  arms  of  my 
blessed  Jesus.  I  never  before  had  any  idea  of  the  ability  and  will- 
ingness of  Jesus  to  save  me.  I  feel  that  he  hath  saved  me.  He 
hath  cleaned  me  through  and  through.  I  hope  to  see  my  God  in 
heaven  before  to-morrow  morning." 

He,  however,  survived  two  days  longer,  and  sweetly  fell  asleep, 
trusting  in  an  almighty  Saviour.  Such  was  the  closing  scene  of 
Judson  Forbes,  from  Wisconsin,  aged  twenty-four  years. — Rev. 
IViliiam  Taylor. 

The  Dying  German  in  a  Stable. — During  the  autumn  of 
1S53,  the  City  llospital,  which  could  accommodate  about  three  hun- 
dred patients,  was  crowded  to  excess.  One  day,  after  visiting  the 
wards  of  the  sick  and  dying,  and  pa^^sing  out  into  the  back  yard,  a 
nurse  said  to  me,  "  There  is  a  very  sick  man  in  the  stable,"  pointing 
to  the  door.  I  entered,  and  saw  the  emaciated  frame  of  a  tall,  ir- 
telligentr-looking  young  German.  He  told  me  he  was  a  druggist, 
had  been  well  brought  up,  and  was  doing  a  good  business  in  his 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  207 

father-land,  when  he  took  a  notion  he  would  come  to  California 
He  had  been  at  work  in  the  mines,  and  got  his  \e<^  broken.  It  had 
been  too  long  neglected,  and  mortification  had  taken  place,  and  he 
feared  he  never  would  again  see  his  dear  mother.  I  explained  to 
hiin  our  guilty  and  exposed  condition  as  sinners,  and  told  him  of  a 
Friend,  his  Friend,  one  who  loved  him  more  than  his  mother  ever 
did  or  could  love  him  ;  that  his  mother  in  Germany  knew  not  the 
condition  of  her  son,  and  could  not  help  him  if  she  did  ;  that  this 
Friend  knew  all  about  him,  and  that  he  was  nigh  at  hand  ;  that  he 
was  born  in  a  stable,  and  was  present  then,  in  his  spiritual  nature, 
his  essential  Divinity,  in  that  mean  stable,  and  was  waiting  to  re- 
ceive him  as  his  child. 

Never  before  did  I  see  a  poor  soul  drink  in  the  simple  Gospel  with 
*nch  avidity.  Ilis  faith  seemed  to  follow  me  closely  step  by  step, 
till,  by  the  mercy  of  the  Lord,  I  led  him  to  the  cross.  Gazing  with 
wonder,  he  at  once  recognized  the  dying  Jesus  as  the  victim  slain 
for  him.  His  faith  took  right  hold  of  the  atonement  and  exulted  ia 
an  almighty  Saviour.  His  countenance  shone  like  that  of  Moses,  as 
he  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  my  Jesus,  my  Jesus,  I  do  love  thee  !" 

As  he  continued  to  praise  God,  he,  every  now  and  then,  tamed 
his  beaming  eyes  towards  me,  and  said,  "  I  am  so  glad  you  came  in 
to  see  me.  I  did  not  know  Jesus  till  you  came  in  and  told  me 
about  my  precious  Saviour.  I  would  like  to  get  well  that  I  might 
do  something  great  for  you." 

I  assured  him  that  I  was  repaid  a  thousandfold  in  seeing  him 
happy  in  God.  His  strength  failing,  he  said,  "  My  poor  pody,  he  is 
very  sick,  he  will  soon  go  down  ;  but  my  spirit,  he  is  well  now,  he 
will  soon  go  up  to  my  blessed  Jesus."  A  few  hours  sufficed  to  end 
the  mortal  strife,  and  his  spirit  went  up  to  his  blessed  Jesus. — Rev. 
William   Taylor. 

Conversion  at  the  Mast-head. — A  rough  seaman,  on 
one  of  his  visits  to  his  home,  was  greatly  importuned  by  his  parents 
to  become  a  Christian.  He  turned  impatiently  from  all  their  affec- 
tionate entreaties  ;  and  went  to  seek  his  pleasure  among  his  sailor 
companions.  That  night,  as  he  lay  awake  upon  his  bed,  he  heard 
his  mother's  voice  pleading  earnestly  with  God  for  the  salvation  of 


268  KEMAEKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

her  only  son.  This  exasperated  rather  than  softened  the  heart  of 
the  impenitent  man  ;  and  the  next  day  he  bade  his  home  farewell, 
and  was  soon  again  upon  the  wide  ocean.  His  parents,  and  their 
desires  for  his  conversion,  were,  probably,  entirely  driven  from  his 
mind.  But  once,  when  he  was  stationed  as  "look-out"  high  on 
the  mast,  with  no  companions  about  him  but  the  piping  winds,  he 
was  made  to  thrill  with  a  sudden  awe  and  terror  at  what  seemed  to 
be  the  very  voice  of  his  mother's  prayer  uttered  long  ago  in  the 
silent  night,  now  borne  to  his  ears  by  the  air  of  heaven,  as  he  sailed 
over  the  lonely  sea.  He  tried  to  laugh  at  himself  for  having  so  wild 
a  fancy  ;  but  agam  that  loving  cadence  rose  and  fell  on  the  waves 
of  the  air.  He  could  distinguish  the  very  words  of  the  prayer.  It 
was  too  much  for  the  courage  of  the  sailor.  What  I  was  there  a 
miracle  wrought  in  his  behalf,  and  should  he  still  resist  the  Holy 
Spirit  ?  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner  !"  cried  the  mariner 
from  amid  the  shrouds,  "  Lord,  I  believe,  and  I  will  be  thy  ser- 
vant, if  thou  wilt  take  such  a  vile  wretch  as  I  am."  The  sailor  was, 
from  that  hour,  a  new  man  ;  and  when  next  he  went  to  visit  his 
retired  home,  it  was  to  carry  to  his  faithful  parents  the  joyful  tidings 
of  his  conversion. 

A  Dream  of  Salvation. — A  widow  had  a  son  for  whose 
salvation  she  wearied  the  heavens  by  perpetual  prayers.  Having 
said  and  done  for  him,  as  she  thought,  everything  that  wisdom  per- 
mitted, she  had  altogether  ceased  to  vex  him  with  any  more  personal 
appeals.  But  her  heart  was  in  continual  heaviness  at  the  thought 
that  her  only  child  was  allowing  the  dew  of  his  youth  to  pass  with- 
out devoting  himself  to  God.  She  believed  fully  that  her  Maker 
and  Friend  would  make  good  his  word  to  her  by  the  final  salvation 
of  the  precious  soul  which,  with  all  a  mother's  yearning  tenderness, 
she  had  intrusted  to  His  guardian  care  ;  but  sometimes  she  felt 
her  heart  sinking  fast  and  heavily  under  the  pressure  of  a  fear  that 
she  should  not  be  permitted  to  live  to  see  his  conversion. 

One  morning,  after  the  mother  had  almost  given  up  the  hope 
of  a  speedy  change  in  her  son,  he  appeared  at  the  breakfast  table 
with  pale  face  and  languid  manner.  Fearing  that  he  might  be  sick, 
the  widow  questioned  him  with  anxiety,  and  at  length  drew  from 


AND  REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  269 

him  the  confession  that  he  was  very  much  distressed  in  consequence 
of  a  dream  which  had  the  previous  night  visited  him.  We  will  give 
the  dream  in  something  like  the  youth's  own  words  : 

"  I  thought,"  he  said,  ^'  mother,  that  I  was  standing  at  the  bot- 
tom of  a  deep  pit,  from  which  there  seemed  no  possible  way  of 
escape.  Two  vicious  looking  creatures,  half  man,  half  demon,  stood 
a  few  feet  before  me,  working  furiously  at  forges.  The  fire  flashed 
from  the  iron  in  their  hands,  and  smoke  and  lurid  flame  encircled 
them  on  every  side.  Smoke  poured  from  their  widely  distended 
nostrils  and  cavernous  mouths,  and  the  fire  darted  from  their 
blazing  eyes.  They  eyed  me  with  malicious  joy,  and  appeared  pre- 
paring for  a  spring  at  me,  as  I  stood  cowering  helplessly  before 
them,  almost  within  reach  of  their  talon-like  hands.  I  shall  never 
forget  the  unutterably  fear  and  agony  with  which  I  looked  about 
me  for  some  way  of  escape. 

"  The  monsters  grinned  horribly  upon  me,  as  I  did  so,  and  then 
cast  fearfully  malicious  glances  from  me  to  each  other.  '  He  is 
ours,'  they  seemed  to  say,  *  ours  without  help  or  hope.' 

"  Suddenly  I  saw  something  moving  close  by  my  face.  It  was  a 
Rmall  silken  cord.  I  looked  up,  and  over  the  mouth  of  the  pit,  I 
saw  the  face  of  the  Saviour.  I  knew  him  in  a  moment  ;  I  cannot 
tell  how,  but  it  seemed  revealed  to  me.  He  was  looking  down  upon 
me  and  holding  the  other  end  of  the  silken  cord.  When  he  met  my 
gaze,  he  said,  in  tones  which  I  shall  remember  till  I  hear  them  in 
Heaven  or  at  the  Judgment  Day,  'Take  hold 'I  'What  I  Lord, 
not  of  this  little  thread — it  will  never  bear  me.' 

"  '  Take  hold  P  was  the  only  answer.  '  Oh  I  I  cannot,  I  dare 
not  ;  it  would  break  in  my  hand,'  I  persisted,  in  terrible  agitation, 
for  my  fierce  companions  had  dropped  their  work,  and  were  in  the 
very  act  of  springing  upon  me.  '  Take  hold  !'  commanded  once  more 
the  voice  above  me,  and  with  a  desperate  grasp  I  seized  the  string, 
and  was  instantly  drawn  above  all  danger,  while  the  fiends  were 
howling  in  disaj^pointed  malignity  below  me.  The  size  of  the 
line  which  bore  me  increased  continually,  and  in  a  few  moments 
I  was  safe  at  the  top  of  the  pit.  As  I  threw  myself  in  a  transport 
of  joy  and  gratitude  at  my  Deliverer's  feet,  I  awoke  ;  but  I  have 
not  yet  been  able  to  shake  off  the  effects  of  that  singular  dream." 


270  REMAEKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

"  Nor  should  you  try  to  do  so,  my  son,"  returned  the  widow, 
solemnly.  "  God  speaks  to  the  soul  in  dreams  of  the  night — and 
he  has  now  spoken  in  a  voice  of  warning  to  the  widow's  only  son — 
neglect  not  the  vision." 

Henry  did  not  neglect  it,  and  in  less  than  a  week  from  that  day, 
his  mother  had  the  joy  of  knowing  that  her  child  had  chosen  the 
service  of  the  Saviour  who  had  rescued  him  from  the  pit. 

"  God  willing  to  make  His  Power  Known." — In  the 

town  of  W.,  in  the  State  of  Maine,  there  resided  a  man  by  the  name 
of  Daniel .  His  early  religious  education  had  been  very  imper- 
fect. His  mother  (a  pious  woman)  had  died  while  Daniel  was  yet 
a  lad,  and  his  father  was  very  far  from  being  a  Christian.  Upon  the 
deathbed  of  the  latter,  he  was  brought  to  see,  and  heartily  to  repent 
of,  all  his  sins,  chief  among  which  he  regarded  the  bad  manner  in 
which  he  had  brought  up  his  sous.  These  sons  he  called  to  his  bed- 
side, and  solemnly  besought  them  to  avoid  leading  the  irreligious  life 
that  he  had  led.  He  required  of  each  one  a  promise  that  he  would 
make  the  kingdom  of  heaven  the  very  first  object  of  his  search  ;  and 
then,  dying  as  he  was,  the  poor  old  father  struggled  upon  his  knees  to 
pour  out  his  soul  once  more  unto  the  Lord  in  behalf  of  his  sinful  sons. 

The  old  man  died  and  was  buried  ;  and  the  sons  went  their  several 
ways,  and,  to  all  appearance,  their  father's  deathbed  entreaties  and 
exhortations  were  to  prove  utterly  fruitless. 

But  there  were  some  that  hoped  against  hope  for  better  things  ; 
and  many  prayers  were  offered  for  the  thoughtless  brothers.  In 
their  youth,  and  while  their  father  was  robust  and  active,  he  and  his 
sons  were  in  the  habit,  in  the  spring-time,  of  driving  logs — but  that 
had  been  many  years  ago. 

One  morning  Daniel  thought  that  his  father  came  into  his  room 
and  called  out,  with  a  strong,  quick  voice,  "  Oome,  Daniel,  the  tide 
is  almost  out."  Daniel  leaped  from  his  bed  in  haste,  thinking  that 
he  was  called  to  go  and  help  about  the  logs.  He  afterwards  said  he 
seemed  to  see  his  father  near  his  bed  as  he  arose,  and  it  was  not 
until  he  was  nearly  dressed  that  he  became  aware  that  he  had  but 
dreamed.  This  dream-call  worried  him  ;  and  when  he  was  told  that 
it  should  be  regarded  as  something  more  important  than  a  common 


AND   KEVIVAL  INCIDENTS.  271 

dream  he  was  vexed,  because  he  felt  that  to  be  iu  accordance  with 
his  own  fears. 

About  this  time,  if  we  mistake  not,  a  revival  began  to  take  place 
in  the  churches  of  W.,  and  the  case  of  these  brothers  was  made  one 
of  especial  prayer.  Two  of  them,  if  no  more,  knew  that  this  was  so. 
One  was  not  much  exercised  in  any  way  by  this  knowledge  ;  but 
Daniel  was  fretted  exceedingly  by  it.  He  was  so  surly  and  .io^ent 
at  home,  that  few  cared  to  speak  to  him.  One  evening  his  vSa,  or 
some  other  member  of  the  family,  pleasantly  invited  him  to  attend 
a  meeting,  and  he  immediately  burst  out  in  a  great  rage,  cursing 
and  swearing,  and  declaring  that  they  needn't  think  they  were  going 
to  get  him  prayed  over  into  a  Christian,  for  they  could  not  and 
should  not  do  it.  So  saying,  he  flung  himself  angrily  out  of  the 
house.  But  he  could  not  run  away  from  the  Spirit  of  God.  He  had 
dared  to  say  that  God  had  not  the  power  to  change  his  heart,  and 
in  mercy  instead  of  wrath  he  was  to  be  taught  his  error.  As  a  man 
who  is  blind  is  sometimes  led,  he  knows  not  by  whom,  so  was  Daniel 
led  from  the  threshold  that  he  crossed,  in  the  heat  of  fury,  straight 
to  the  house  of  God.  He  never  could  tell  what  it  was  that  came 
over  him  ;  but  he  knew  that  all  the  anger  and  rancor  of  his  heart 
were  taken  away,  and  when  he  returned  to  his  home  he  went  into 
his  chamber,  and  kneeling  down  by  his  bed,  tried,  with  all  his  heart, 
to  pray.  It  was  hard  work  for  his  untaught  lips,  and  the  effort 
^  brought  forth  a  flood  of  tears  from  the  rugged  man's  eyes.  Emo- 
tions new  and  strange  swept  over  hira  ;  and  there  he  remained, 
trembling,  weeping,  and  praying,  till  the  fear  that  some  one  would 
come  in  caused  him  to  rise  and  creep  into  bed,  and  try  to  sleep. 
But  sleep  had  fled  away  from  him.  The  next  day,  finding  himself 
alone,  he  took  a  Bible  and  sat  down  to  see  what  light  that  would 
throw  upon  his  state  of  mind.  He  had  uttered  to  no  one  a  word  of 
the  great  change  which  1  ad  been  wrought  in  his  feelings,  aud  he  could 
not  at  all  understand  what  it  was  that  had  befallen  him.  He  thought 
that  if  the  Lord  really  would  hear  hira  now,  and  forgive  him  a''  his 
high-handed  transgressions,  that  he  should  be  most  glad  aud  grate- 
ful to  devote  his  whole  future  Ufe  to  the  service  of  One  so  merciful 
and  long-suffering  ;  but  it  did  not  seem  that  he  could  ever  be  suffi- 
ciently sure  of  forgiveness  and  of  the  love  of  God,  to  speak  of  his 


272  EEMABKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

feelings  to  any  one,  or  to  dare  to  enroll  his  name  with  Christians. 
But  he  would  read  some  in  the  Bible,  and,  perhaps,  he  should  get 
instruction  from  its  sacred  pages.  He  opened  it  at  random  ;  for  he 
knew  no  more  where  to  look  for  anything  in  the  Bible  than  a  child 
of  three  years  of  age.  What  was  his  astonishment — what  was  his 
sudden,  overflowing  delight,  when  the  very  first  words  upon  which 
his  eyes  fell  were,  "  0  Daniel,  a  man  greatly  beloved,  understand 
the  words  that  I  speak  unto  thee,  and  stand  upright,  for  unto  thee 
am  I  now  sent.  .  .  .  Fear  not,  Daniel,  for  from  the  first  day  that 
thou  didst  set  'thy  heart  to  understand  and  to  chasten  thyself  before 
God,  thy  words  were  heard." — Dan.  x. 

To  imagine  the  effect  these  words  must  have  had  upon  a  man  in 
his  state  of  mind,  it  must  be  remembered  that  Daniel  was  totally 
unaware  that  there  was  a  book  bearing  his  name  in  the  sacred 
volume.  As  he  afterwards  declared,  an  audible  voice,  speaking  to 
him  from  the  very  skies,  could  hardly  have  seemed  more  Hke  a 
du'ect  personal  address  to  him  from  God,  than  did  the  words  which 
he  then  read. 

They  were  indeed  blessed  words  to  him  ;  they  caused  him  to 
"stand  upon  his  feet,'^  and  tell  in  the  solemn  assembly  all  that  God 
had  done  for  his  soul.  He  joined  his  name  to  the  people  of  the 
living  God,  and  although  he  did  not  prove  to  be  quite  perfect,  he 
has  given  evidences  of  being  in  spirit  and  truth  a  child  of  the  new 
birth.  But  there  is  a  shadowy  side  to  this  story.  Daniel  was  the 
only  one  of  the  brothers  who  was  chosen,  though  all  were  called. 
While  the  revival  was  in  progress,  and  after  the  conversion  of 
Daniel,  there  was  intensely  earnest  prayer  offered  for  the  ingather- 
ing of  the  other  brothers,  especially  for  the  one  with  whom  Daniel 
had  been  up  to  the  present  time  associated  in  business.  The  church 
prayed  that  his  brother  W.  might  have  no  peace  until  he  found  it 
in  Jesus  ;  that  he  might  be  followed  all  the  day,  and  "  disturbed  in 
the  watches  of  the  night."  It  was  a  still,  moonlight  night  when 
W.  was  awakened  by  a  strange,  mournful  sound,  which  seemed 
to  be  above  him,  in  the  air.  He  listened.  What  could  it  mean  ? 
Was  he  dreaming  ?  The  tones  were,  part  of  the  time,  those  of 
singing,  and  again  they  were  the  tones  of  prayer.  And  W.  thought 
he  recognized  the  voices  of  his  departed  father  and  mother,  and 


AND   REVIVAL    INCroENTS.  273 

that  of  a  little  niece,  who  had  died  a  short  time  previous.  He  felt 
a  chill  of  awe  and  terror  creeping  through  his  blood.  He  spoke  to 
his  wife — she  was  awake  : 

"  Do  yon  hear  anything  !" 

"  Yes,  W.,  I  have  heard  them  all  night ;  and  I  think  that  when 
the  spirits  of  the  dead  are  thus  disturbed  for  your  sake,  it  is  high 
time  that  you  should  be  disturbed  for  yourself." 

"  Pshaw  !  wife — the  girls  up  stairs  are  up,  praying  and  singing." 

"  But  it  is  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  ;  and  these  are  not  the 
voices  of  our  girls,  as  you  well  know." 

But  W.  arose,  and  went  to  search.  He  found  the  girls  asleep. 
He  looked  from  the  windows  ;  all  around  was  still  and  calm.  The 
pure  moonhght  flooded  the  garden  and  the  road  ;  not  a  human 
being  could  have  been  anywhere  near  and  unseen.  W.  returned  to 
his  bed,  but  not  to  sleep  ;  not  until  the  morning  broke  did  those 
mysterious  voices  grow  silent.  But  they  entreated  all  the  night  in 
vain  ;  for  W.  hardened  his  heart,  then  and  afterwards.  He  would 
never  listen  with  patience  to  any  serious  mention  of  the  sounds  which 
had  caused  him  so  much  uneasiness  when  he  heard  them.  It  is  not 
known  that  he  ever  after  was  personally  importuned  to  set  his  face 
heavenward.  Probably  he  then  made  his  final  choice,  and  the  fear 
is  that  he  will  be  allowed  to  abide  by  it.  "  My  Spirit  shall  not 
always  strive  with  man." 

"  Neither  are  your  ways  my  ways,  saith  the  Lord." 

— A  good  old  man  had  several  sons,  none  of  whom  were  Christians. 
When  he  had,  for  years,  tried  every  means  for  their  conversion,  but 
without  effect,  he  prayed  in  his  sorrow  that  as  his  life  had  failed  to 
exert  the  right  influence  upon  his  children's  hearts,  he  might  be 
favored  with  a  death  so  triumphant  and  happy  that  they  should,  by 
that,  be  won  to  enter  the  service  of  Christ.  Soon  after  this,  the 
faithful  father  was  taken  sick,  and  it  was  apparent  that  he  was 
about  to  die.  As  he  drew  near  to  his  last  hours,  his  reason  tot- 
tered, and  was  overthrown  ;  and  then  this  saintly  man,  this  loving 
Christian  father,  began  horribly  to  rave.  He  uttered  all  the  bitter 
language  of  despair,  and  went  out  of  the  world  cm'sing  and  swearing 


m  a  most  shocking  manner. 


13* 


274:  EEMAKKABLE   CONYEESIONS 

"  What  an  answer  to  a  Christian's  prayer  for  a  triumphant  death  1" 
cries  the  reader  ;  but  wait.  Was  not  the  parent's  desire  for  the 
salvation  of  his  sons  ?  Well,  the  young  men  were  stricken  with 
conviction  of  sin  as  they  listened  to  the  ravings  of  their  dying  father. 

"  If  our  father,  who  has  lived  so  just  and  blameless  a  life,  feels 
thus,  and  is  permitted  thus  to  fear  and  suffer,  where  shall  we  stand  in 
our  dying  liour  ?" 

These  were  the  thoughts  that  seized  upon  them  ;  and  not  one  of 
them  was  able  to  rest  day  or  night  until  he  "  looked  unto  Jesus," 
and  was  set  free  from  condemnation.  Their  father's  death  was  made 
the  means  of  their  conversion,  though  not  in  the  way  which  he  had 
marked  out.     God  does  things  in  His  own  time,  and  in  His  own  way. 

Reporter  Converted. — Rev.  W.  P.  Corbit,  in  his  sermon 
to  Firemen  in  the  Academy  of  Music,  New  York,  stated  that  one 
Sabbath  evening  a  young  man  went  to  the  house  of  God  for  the 
purpose  of  preparing  an  article  for  a  notorious  paper  that  assailed 
the  church  of  God  frequently.  He  went  to  the  house  of  God  for 
the  first  time.  The  minister  who  conducted  the  exercises  noticed 
him,  an:l  prayed  that  he  might  have  assistance  to  make  effectual  the 
word  of  God,  and  took  for  his  text  "  I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  Gos- 
pel, for  it  is  given  of  God  for  salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth — 
to  the  Jew  iirst,  also  to  the  Greek,"  In  the  progress  of  his  sermon 
his  heart  glowed  with  holy  fire  and  with  eloquence  as  he  described 
the  power  of  the  Gospel  in  saving  the  souls  of  men.  The  reporter 
began  to  tremble  ;  his  cheek  pa.led  when  the  minister  of  Christ 
announced  that  there  may  be  some  one  here  to-night  who,  like  the 
persecuting  Saul  of  Tarsus,  might  be  arrested  in  his  career,  and 
sent  out  a  flaming  herald  of  the  very  cross  which  now  he  despised  ; 
his  head  fell  and  conviction  deep  and  powerful  seized  on  him.  He 
left  the  sanctuary,  and  began  to  exhort  his  companions  to  forsake 
their  evil  ways  and  give  their  hearts  to  God  ;  but  they  turned  their 
backs  on  him  and  deserted  him.  He  went  to  his  fathers  house,  and 
the  old  man  spurned  him  from  the  door  ;  but,  blessed  be  God,  the 
church  of  Jesus  Christ  opened  her  arms  and  bade  him  welcome. 
He  was  soon  licensed  to  preach,  and  did  go  forth  absolutely  a  flam- 
ing herald  of  that  very  cross  which  he  had  despised, 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  275 

The  Prodigal  and  his  Bible. — The  only  son  of  a  pious 
widow  in  the  nortlieru  part  of  England  proved  ungrateful  for  her 
care,  and  became  her  scourge  and  her  cross.  He  finally  went  to 
sea.  When  his  mother  took  her  leave  of  him  she  gave  him  a  New 
Testament,  inscribed  with  his  name  and  her  own,  solemnly  and  ten- 
derly entreating  that  he  would  keep  the  book,  and  read  it  for  her 
sake.  He  was  borne  far  away  upon  the  bosom  of  the  trackless 
deep,  and  year  after  year  elapsed,  without  tidings  of  her  boy.  After 
the  lapse  of  some  years,  a  half-naked  sailor  knocked  at  her  door,  to 
ask  relief.  The  sight  of  a  sailor  was  always  interesting  to  her,  and 
never  failed  to  awaken  recollections  and  emotions,  better  imagined 
than  described.  She  heard  his  tale.  He  had  seen  great  perils  in 
the  deep,  had  been  several  times  wrecked,  but  said  he  had  never 
been  so  dreadfully  destitute  as  he  was  some  years  back,  when  him- 
self and  a  fine  young  gentleman  were  the  only  individuals,  of  a 
whole  ship's  crew,  that  were  saved.  "We  were  cast  upon  a  desert 
island,  where,  after  seven  days  and  nights,  I  closed  his  eyes!  Poor 
fellow,  I  shall  never  forget  it."  And  here  the  tears  stole  down  his 
weather-beaten  cheeks  "  He  read  day  and  night  in  a  little  book, 
which  he  said  his  mother  gave  him,  and  which  was  the  only  thing 
he  saved.  It  was  his  companion  every  moment  ;  he  wept  for  his 
sins,  he  prayed,  he  kissed  the  book  ;  he  talked  of  nothing  but  this 
book  and  his  mother  ;  and  at  the  last  he  gave  it  to  me,  with  many 
thanks  for  my  poor  services.  '  There,  Jack,  said  he,  '  take  this 
book,  and  keep  it,  and  read  it,  and  may  God  bless  you — it's  all  I've 
got.'  And  then  he  clasped  my  hand,  and  died  in  peace."  "  Is  all 
this  true?"  said  the  trembhng,  astonished  mother.  **  Yes,  madam, 
every  word  of  it."  And  then,  drawing  from  his  ragged  jacket  a 
little  book,  much  battered  and  time-worn,  he  held  it  up,  exclaiming : 
'  *  And  here's  the  very  book,  too."  She  seized  the  Testament,  des- 
cried her  own  handwriting,  and  beheld  the  name  of  her  son,  coupled 
with  her  own,  on  the  cover.  She  gazed,  she  read,  she  wept,  she 
rejoiced.  She  seemed  to  hear  a  voice,  which  said  :  "  Behold  thy 
son  liveth."  Amidst  her  conflicting  emotions,  she  was  ready  to 
exclaim  :  "  Now,  Lord,  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace, 
for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation."  "  Will  you  part  with  that 
book  my  honest  fellow  ?"  said  the  mother,  anxious  now  to  possess  the 

5 


276  EEMAEKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

precious  relic.  "  No,  madam,"  was  the  answer,  "  not  for  any  money, 
— not  for  all  the  world.  He  gave  it  me  with  his  dying  hand.  I 
have  more  than  once  lost  my  all  since  I  got  it  without  losing  this 
treasure,  the  value  of  which,  I  hope,  I  have  learned  for  myself ;  and 
I  will  never  part  with  it  till  I  part  with  the  breath  out  of  my 
body." 

"Father  Hull"  at  the  Ball.— "  Father  Hull,"  now  de- 
ceased, was  a  preacher  of  the  old  school,  S.  C.  Conference.  Passing 
along  the  highway  one  evening,  in  a  strange,  wicked  country,  he 
called  at  a  good-looking  house  for  lodgings.  Weary  and  faint,  he 
sat  him  down  by  the  fire-side.  After  a  while,  as  night  began  to 
close  in,  companies  of  well-dressed  gentlemen  and  ladies  flocked  into 
the  room.  One  drew  out  his  violin  and  commenced  playing.  Away 
scampered  the  youngsters,  hopping  and  leaping.  It  was  "  a  ball  1" 
Here  sat  the  stranger  looking  silently  on.  At  length  a  partner  was 
wanted,  and  one  ventured  up  and  asked  Mr.  Hull  if  he  would  take 
the  floor.  "  Certainly,  madam  !"  said  he,  rising  and  walking  out  on 
the  floor,  as  he  spoke  ;  "  but  I  have  long  made  it  a  rule  never  to 
commence  any  business  till  I  have  asked  the  direction  of  the  Lord, 
and  his  blessing  upon  it.  Will  you  all  join  in  prayer  with  me  ?" 
As  be  spoke  these  words,  he  fell  on  his  knees  and  began  to  pray. 
Some  kneeled,  others  stood,  all  petrified  with  astonishment.  In  the 
mean  time,  being  a  holy,  faithful  man,  and  peculiarly  powerful  in 
prayer,  he  seemed  to  draw  the  very  heavens  and  earth  together. 
Some  groaned,  some  shrieked  aloud,  and  many  fell  prostrate,  like 
dead  men,  on  the  floor.  In  short,  the  dance  was  turned  into  a  reli- 
gious meeting,  from  which  many  dated  their  conviction  and  conver- 
sion, and  the  commencement  of  a  powerful  revival. 

The  Young  Convert's  Prayer  in  the  Ball-room.— 

In  one  of  the  interior  counties  of  Pennsylvania,  a  young  man  whom, 

for  the  sake  of  distinction,  we  shall  call  B ,  was  convicted  of 

sin,  and  found  peace  in  believing.     He  was  the  son  of  one  of  the 
most  respectable  and  wealthy  inhabitants  of  that  region  of  country, 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  277 

but  his  father  was  unhappily  a  bitter  opposer  of  the  religion  of 
Christ. 

About  this  time  a  splendid  hall  was  got  up,  with  every  possible 
attempt  at  display,  and  the  youth  of  the  village  and  surrounding 

country  were  all  excitement  for  the  festive  occasion.     B •  was 

invited.  He  at  once  declined  attending,  but  his  father  insisted  that 
he  should  go.  The  struggle  was  long  and  anxious.  At  length  it 
was  decided — he  determined  to  go.  His  father  rejoiced  at  his  decision. 
His  friends  congratulated  him  on  having  abandoned  his  new  notions 
and  become  a  man  again. 

The  evening  at  last  arrived.  The  gay  party  were  gathered  in  the 
spacious  hall.  There  was  beauty,  and  wealth,  and  fashion.  The 
world  was  there.     Every  heart  seemed  full  of  gladness,  every  voice 

was  one  of  joy.     B appeared  among  the  rest,  with  a  brow  that 

spoke  the  purpose  of  a  determined  soul.  He  was  the  first  on  the 
floor  to  lead  off  the  dance.  A  cotillion  was  formed,  and  as  the 
circle  stood  in  the  centre  of  the  room,  with  every  eye  fixed  on  them, 

what  was  the  astonishment  of  the  company  when  B raised  his 

hands  and  said,  "Let  us  Pray."  The  assembly  was  awe-struck. 
Not  a  word  was  uttered.  It  was  as  silent  as  the  grave,  while 
B poured  out  his  heart  to  God  in  behalf  of  his  young  com- 
panions, his  parents,  and  the  place  in  which  they  lived.  With 
perfect  composure  he  concluded  his  prayer,  and  all  had  left  the 
room  silently,  but  one.  A  young  lady  whom  he  had  led  upon  the 
floor  as  his  partner,  stood  near  him  bathed  in  tears.  They  left  the 
room  together,  and  not  long  afterwards,  she  was  led  to  the  foot  of 
the  cross,  having  been  first  awakened  by  her  partner's  prayer  on 
the  lallrroom  floor.     They  were  soon  married,  and  are  still  living, 

active,  devoted  members  of  the  body  of  Christ.     B is  an  elder 

in  one  of  the  churches  near  the  city  of  New  York. 

Awakened  at  the  Gaming  Table.— A  gambler  at  Ux- 
bridge,  Mass.,  while  sitting  at  the  table  with  the  cards  in  his  hands, 
was  smitten  almost  like  Saul  of  Tarsus.  He  could  neither  hold  the 
cards  nor  play  the  game.  His  companions  urged  him  to  take  an- 
other glass  of  liquor  to  quiet  his  nerves.  He  refused,  and  leaving 
them  at  their  games,  he  started  for  home,  and  found  no  peace  until 
he  felt  an  inward  evidence  of  forgiveness. 


278  REMAEKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

How  to  Believe  with  the  Heart.*— In  visiting  among 
my  people  one  morning,  a  lady  informed  me  that  a  physician  in  the 
village,  with  whom  I  had  some  acquaintance,  was  confined  to  bis 
room  by  a  severe  cold,  and  his  friends  had  some  apprehensions  that 
it  might  result  in  his  death. 

I  immediately  went  to  his  room  to  see  him,  and  found  him  on  his 
bed.  He  assured  me  that  he  had  no  apprehensions  of  any  other 
serious  effects  from  his  pi  esent  indisposition,  than  confinement  from  his 
business  for  a  few  weeks.  He  said  he  was  taken  with  an  inflamma- 
tion of  the  lungs,  and  had  used  such  thorough  means  to  reduce  it, 
that  it  had  left  him  very  weak,  but  he  thought  he  should  soon 
recover. 

After  conversing  with  him  upon  the  general  subject  of  religion,  I 
requested  him  to  take  the  tenth  chapter  of  Romans,  and  study  it  as 
he  would  a  medical  book,  and  give  me  his  opinion  of  its  meaning 
when  I  called  again. 

The  second  time  I  called,  as  soon  as  I  was  seated,  he  said  to  me, 
"  I  cannot  understand  that  chapter  you  gave  me  to  study,  when 
you  were  here  last." 

**  What  part  of  it,  doctor,  don't  you  understand  ?" 

"  That  part  that  says,  '  If  we  will  confess  with  our  mouth  the 
Lord  Jesus,  and  believe  with  our  heart,  that  God  hath  raised  Him 
from  the  dead,  we  shall  be  saved.'  " 

"  Why,  my  dear  sir,  there  is  no  hidden  meaning  to  that  passage  ; 
it  tells  us  a  simple  truth,  and  must  be  understood  just  like  any 
other  plain  declaration." 

"  What  then  is  it  to  beheve  with  the  heart  ?" 

This  I  illustrated  by  telling  him  that  if  his  wife  was  in  New  York, 
and  a  man  of  established  reputation  should  come  from  that  city, 
and  inform  him  that  she  lay  at  the  point  of  death,  he  would  be 
immediately  convinced  of  the  truth  of  the  message,  while  his  heart 
would  wish  that  it  was  not  so  ;  but  if  a  subsequent  messenger 
should  arrive  and  inform  him  that  his  wife  had  passed  the  crisis 
in  her  disease,  and  was  out  of  danger,   the  feelings  of  his  heart 

*  The  interesting  cases  of  Conversions  recorded  from  this  to  the  321  page  inclusive,  aro 
eelected  from  that  excellent  book,  "  Incidents  in  a  Pastor's  Life,"  by  Rev.  Dr.  Wiener,  pub* 
iished  by  Mr  Charles  Scribner. 


AJsD   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  27D 

would   sympathize  with   his   intellectual   convictions,  or   in   other 
Words,  he  would  believe  with  the  heart  and  the  understanding. 

On  hearing  this  illustration,  he  lay  for  a  short  time  absorbed  in 
thought,  and  then  inquired  with  earnestness,  "  Is  this  all  ?" 

I  told  him  this  was  my  view  of  the  meaning  of  a  belief  of  the 
heart,  and  referred  him  to  the  passage  in  Acts,  where,  on  the  day 
of  Pentecost,  as  many  as  gladly  received  the  word  were  baptized 
and  added  to  the  church. 

lie  replied,  "  If  this  is  so,  then  salvation  is  much  easier  to  attain 
than  I  have  ever  supposed." 

I  told  him  it  was  indeed  so,  and  that  sinners  often  rejected  it  on 
that  account.  They  were  looking  for  something  mysterious  and 
difficult,  and  when  they  were  told  that  they  had  only  to  believe 
with  the  heart,  like  the  Assyrian  leper,  they  would  go  away  disap- 
pointed, and  often  displeased. 

The  next  time  I  called  to  see  him,  I  found  him  much  more  unwell, 
but  full  of  joy  and  peace.  He  seemed  to  believe  with  the  heart, 
that  God  had  raised  his  Son  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead,  to  be  a 
Prince  and  a  Saviour,  to  give  repentance  and  remission  of  sins.  He 
continued  to  sink  rapidly  under  his  disease,  and  in  a  few  weeks 
closed  his  earthly  career,  rejoicing  in  the  simplicity  of  the  gospel  of 
Christ. 

The  dreaded  Visit. — There  was  in  my  congregation  a  pub- 
lic house,  in  which  neither  the  landlord  nor  his  wife  were  professors 
of  religion.  It  was  quite  a  resort  for  the  thoughtless  and  profane, 
and  I  dreaded  visiting  the  place,  but  conceiving  it  to  be  ray  duty,  I 
nerved  myself  up  to  the  task.  I  was  respectfully  received  and 
invited  into  the  sitting-room,  where  I  found  the  tavern-keeper 
and  his  wife  alone.  I  conversed  with,  or  rather  talked  to  them, 
about  the  interests  of  their  immortal  souls,  endeavored  to  show 
them  the  responsibility  of  their  station,  and  urged  them  to  give 
immediate  attention  to  the  things  which  belonged  to  their  peace. 
But  could  get  no  other  answer  than  a  promise  from  the  landlord 
that  he  would  think  of  it.  I  left  the  house  with  a  heavy  heart, 
feeling  that  I  had  done  them  no  good. 

They  soon  left  the  place,  and  I  knew  nothing  of  them  until  ten 


280  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

years  after  my  visit,  when  I  received  a  very  kind  note  from  the  man, 
informing  me  that  the  conversation  which  seemed  to  be  so  little 
regarded,  had  resulted  in  the  conversion  of  both  himself  and  wife. 

The  Girl  who  "was  afraid  of  her  Parents.— Among 
the  individuals  who  were  present,  on  a  particular  occasion,  in  one  of 
my  meetings  for  conversation,  was  a  young  woman  who  was  in  very 
deep  distress.  On  inquiring  the  cause  of  her  anguish  of  mind,  she 
said  she  was  a  lost  sinner,  and  was  afraid  of  the  wrath  of  God. 

I  inquired  if  she  did  not  know  that  Jesus  came  to  save  lost  sinners. 

She  replied  that  she  did,  and  had  long  known  that  fact. 

"  And  why  then,"  said  I,  "  do  you  not  go  to  him  and  be  saved  ?" 

"  I  am  a  stranger  in  this  place.  My  mother  and  her  husband,  who 
is  my  step-father,  are  both  angry  at  me  for  attending  these  meetings, 
and  if  I  should  become  a  Christian  they  will  turn  me  out  in  the 
streets." 

"  And  is  this  all  that  keeps  you  away  from  Christ  ?" 

"  I  think  it  is  all  that  prevents  me  from  being  a  Christian." 

''But  you  must  remember  the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  that 
those  who  esteem  father  or  mother,  or  even  their  own  lives,  more 
than  him  cannot  be  his  disciples  ;  and  that  if  you  are  more  afraid 
of  the  displeasure  of  your  earthly  parents  than  you  are  of  the 
righteous  displeasure  of  God,  you  must  remain  in  a  state  of  con- 
demnation and  death." 

"  Oh,  I  cannot  do  that,"  she  exclaimed,  the  tears  streaming  down 
her  cheeks,  "  I  cannot  do  that." 

"  Well,  miss,  you  must  either  do  that,  or  you  must  be  willing 
to  be  cast  out  from  house  and  home  for  Christ's  sake." 

She  remained  for  some  time  in  great  agony  of  spirit,  and  then, 
with  a  smile  of  joy  shining  through  a  profusion  of  tears,  said,  "  I 
will  be  the  Lord's." 

I  asked  her  if  she  had  counted  the  cost,  and  meant  to  adhere  to 
her  purpose,  though  it  might  expose  her  to  all  that  she  feared. 

She  said  she  thought  she  had,  and  felt  that  without  any  reserve 
or  condition,  she  had  thrown  herself  upon  the  mercy  of  her  blessed 
Saviour. 

She  returned   home  that  evening,  and  to  her  surprise  and  joy 


AND  REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  281 

found  her  mother  in  deep  distress  about  her  own  salvation,  and 
neither  parent  ever  made  any  further  objections  to  her  serving  the 
Lord  according  to  the  dictates  of  her  own  conscience. 

I  have  never  ventured  to  persuade  sinners  that  the  sacrifices  con- 
sequent upon  their  becoming  pious  would  be  less  than  they  feared, 
but  have  endeavored  to  show  them  that  they  ought  to  prefer  suffer- 
ing any  amount  of  affliction  with  the  people  of  God,  rather  than 
enjoy  the  pleasures  of  sin  for  a  season. 

The  Infidel  Bible  Class. — When  I  first  commenced  my  min- 
istry in  the  city  of  *  *  *  *  I  found  that  there  was  a  large  class  of 
intelligent  and  influential  men  who  professed  to  be  infidels,  and  kept 
aloof  from  all  the  means  of  grace.  Instead  of  going  to  church  on 
the  Sabbath  they  would  usually  meet  together  to  strengthen  each 
other  in  their  loose  sentiments.  Feeling  a  strong  desire  to  bring 
them  under  the  influence  of  the  Gospel,  I  gave  public  notice  on  the 
Sabbath  that  the  next  Lord's  day  evening  I  would  state  the  evi- 
dences upon  which  I  received  the  Bible  as  the  word  of  God,  and  if 
any  one  chose  he  might,  in  the  course  of  the  week,  send  me,  anony- 
mously, his  objections  to  those  evidences,  or  might  state  the  reasons 
upon  which  he  founded  his  infidelity,  and  if  the  communication  was 
respectful  and  not  unreasonably  long,  I  would  read  it  on  the  following 
Sabbath  evening  to  the  congregation,  and  answer  it.  In  the  course 
of  the  week  I  received  a  well-written  communication,  impugning  the 
evidences  I  had  stated  as  those  on  which  I  rested  the  claims  of  the 
Bible  to  our  belief,  and  some  arguments  in  favor  of  infidelity. 

On  Sabbath  evening,  I  found  that  my  house  was  crowded,  and 
that  the  individuals  for  whose  benefit  I  had  instituted  this  kind  of 
meeting  were  there.  I  read  the  communication,  and  answered  it  as 
clearly  as  I  was  able,  and  gave  liberty  for  the  continuance  of  the 
same  course  every  week  until  I  should  give  notice  to  the  contrary. 

I  continued  in  this  way  to  receive  and  answer  infidel  objections 
through  the  winter,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  finding  that  my 
labors  were  not  in  vain  in  the  Lord.  A  number  of  that  very  class 
were  convinced  of  the  divinity  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  were  sub- 
quently  brought  into  the  church. 

The  course  which  I  adopted  operated  in  the  following  manner , 


282  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

1st.  It  convinced  infidels  that  ministers  did  not  wish  to  stand 
aloof  from  them  or  call  them  hard  names,  but  that  we  are  willing  to 
meet  them,  and  afifectiouatelj  to  reason  with  them. 

2d.  When  they  sat  down  to  write  out  their  objections  to  the 
Bible,  and  the  religion  which  it  teaches,  they  found  that  they  had 
not  as  many  arguments  in  support  of  their  theory  as  they  had  sup- 
posed. 

3d.  When  some  of  their  leading  spirits  would  send  me  a  commu- 
nication containing  what  they  had  all  been  in  the  habit  of  consider- 
ing unanswerable  arguments  against  the  Bible,  and  they  saw  how 
easily  such  objecfions  were  disposed  of  and  how  ill  they  could  bear 
examining  in  the  light  of  truth,  it  shook  their  confidence  in  the  wis- 
dom of  their  leaders,  and  in  their  own  safety  and  made  them  desir- 
ous of  knowing  more  about  the  Christian  religion. 

4th.  Last,  but  not  least,  it  brought  them  under  the  influence  of  , 
the  gospel,  which  was  made  to  many  of  them  the  power  of  God,  and 
the  wisdom  of  God,  unto  salvation. 

The  Working  Card. — In  the  fall  of  my  first  year  at  *  *  *  *, 
my  church  became  anxious  that  we  should  have  a  protracted  meet- 
ing, or  some  special  effort  for  the  salvation  of  sinners.  For  various 
reasons,  which  I  need  not  mention  here,  I  was  opposed  to  a  pro- 
tracted meeting  at  that  time,  but  in  the  course  of  the  week  I  pre- 
pared the  following  card  : 

RESOLUTIONS, 

Adopted  hy  the  bearer  of  this  Card. 

1.  Resolved,  That  as  I  am  a  sinner,  redeemed  by  the  blood  of 
Christ,  I  will  do  all  that  I  can  to  save  the  souls  for  whom  he  died. 

2.  Resolved,  That  to  prepare  myself  to  do  good  to  others,  I  will 
strive  to  have  the  same  mind  in  me  which  was  in  Jesus  Christ. 

3.  Resolved,  That  I  will  from  time  to  time  select  from  among  my 
neighbors  some  one  or  more  individuals  with  whom  I  will,  in  tender- 
ness and  affection,  labor  steadily,  doily,  if  possible,  or  even  many 
times  a  day,  until  God  shall  either  bring  them  to  Christ,  or  I  shall 
be  convinced  that  I  should  give  them  up. 

4.  Resolved,  That  I  will  carry  those  with  whom  I  thus  labor  on 


AND   KEVIYAL   INCIDENTS.  283 

my  heart,  and  pray  for  them  continually,  and  with  them  frequently, 
if  they  will  permit  me  80  to  do. 

5.  Resolved,  That  while  I  labor  and  pray  for  the  salvation  of  sin- 
ners, I  will  depend  alone  on  the  Holy  Ghost  to  make  me  successful 
in  my  work. 

I  had  enough  of  these  cards  printed  to  supply  every  member  of 
the  church  with  a  copy,  and  on  the  next  Lord's  day  distributed 
them,  with  the  understanding  that  so  long  as  any  individual  should 
retain  his  card  he  should  consider  himself  bound  by  the  resolutions, 
and  when  he  wished  to  be  released  from  them  he  must  return  the 
card  to  me. 

The  next  night  after  the  distribution  I  was  called  from  my  bed  to 
go  and  visit  a  distressed  sinner,  which  was  a  commencement  of  a 
work  of  grace  that  continued  with  us  all  the  fall  and  winter,  and 
resulted,  as  I  trust,  in  bringing  many  souls  to  a  knowledge  of  the 
Saviour. 

The  Family  that  had  never  read  the  Bible.— In 

the  progress  of  a  revival  of  religion  in  my  congregation,  in  the  win- 
ter of  1830  and  1831,  one  of  the  brethren,  who  was  visiting  families 
in  a  border  settlement,  went  into  a  house  where  he  found  the  woman 
alone.  On  conversing  with  her  on  her  religious  feelings,  she  told 
him  that  she  did  not  know  anything  about  religion.  He  inquired  if 
she  had  never  attended  a  meeting,  or  read  the  Bible  ;  she  said  she 
had  not  since  she  was  old  enough  to  remember  anything  about 
it. 

He  then  commenced  giving  her  a  brief  account  of  the  Creation, 
and  of  the  fall  of  man,  and  of  the  plan  adopted  by  God  for  his 
recovery.  When  he  had  proceeded  as  far  as  the  fall,  and  its  conse- 
quences upon  the  human  family,  and  told  her  that  she  was  herself,  in 
consequence  of  it,  a  sinner  against  God,  and  as  such  exposed  to  his 
wrath  in  hell  to  all  eternity,  she  became  deeply  distressed  with  a 
sense  of  her  lost  condition,  and  wept  bitterly. 

He  next  told  her  of  the  provision  which  God  had  made  for  her 
salvation,  and  exhorted  her  to  repent  and  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  that  she  might  be  saved.  On  hearing  this  she  became  com- 
posed and  happy,  and  requested  him  to  wait  until  she  went  and 


284  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

called  her  husband,  adding  that  he  needed  this  Saviour  as  much  as 
she  did. 

He  did  wait,  and  when  the  husband  came  in,  found  him  almost  as 
ignorant  as  the  wife,  and  repeated  to  him  the  epitome  of  the  Bible 
history,  apparently  with  the  same  effect  which  it  had  produced  on 
the  woman.  He  spent  most  of  the  afternoon  with  them  in  prayer 
and  conversation,  and  when  he  came  away  left  them  both  hoping  in 
Christ. 

I  visited  the  family  soon  after  myself,  and  found  them  hoping, 
and  anxious  to  learn  all  that  they  could  about  the  Bible,  neither  of 
them  being  able  to  read.  They  continued  attentive  to  all  the  means 
of  grace,  and  in  process  of  time  became  members  of  the  church, 
dating  their  hope  back  to  the  visit  above  mentioned. 

They  did  not  remain  in  the  place  a  great  while  after  they  united 
with  the  church,  but  while  they  remained  with  us  gave  us  no  reason 
to  doubt  the  sincerity  of  their  profession,  or  the  genuineness  of  their 
conversion. 

The  Woman  who  "was  afraid  of  her  Husband. — A 

woman  came  into  my  meeting  of  inquiry  in  deep  distress  of  mind, 
who  I  found  upon  inquiry  was  much  alarmed  about  her  condition  as 
a  lost  sinner,  but  had  been  kept  from  the  Saviour  by  fear  of  her 
husband. 

I  endeavored  to  show  her  that  she  should  fear  God  and  obey  him, 
and  then  leave  her  husband  where  she  had  left  her  own  soul — in  the 
hands  of  the  Saviour. 

After  a  severe  struggle  in  her  mind,  the  Lord  seemed  to  have 
caused  her  heart  to  receive  the  truth,  and  she  became  quiet  and 
happy.  But  before  she  left  the  meeting  she  came  to  me  and  inquired 
what  she  should  do.  Her  husband,  she  said,  was  a  man  of  violent 
temper,  and  was  desperately  opposed  to  religion,  and  she  felt  really 
afraid  to  let  him  know  what  her  feelings  were. 

I  told  her  to  go  home,  and  as  soon  as  she  could  see  her  husband 
alone,  to  tell  him  what  she  hoped  the  Lord  had  done  for  her  soul, 
and  to  entreat  him  affectionately  to  go  along  with  her  in  the  service 
of  her  blessed  Redeemer,  This  was  just  before  I  dismissed  my 
meeting  for  dinner. 


AND  REVIVAL  INCmENTS.  285 

In  the  afternoon  I  had  not  been  long  in  the  meeting  before  this 
woman  entered  it  with  her  husband,  though  he  had  never  been  in 
the  habit  of  attending  religious  meetings.  God  had  made  the  affec- 
tionate appeal  of  his  wife  like  an  arrow  in  his  heart,  which  had  left 
a  wound  that  could  only  be  healed  by  the  blood  of  Christ.  In  the 
course  of  the  afternoon,  he,  too,  could  rejoice  in  his  Saviour,  and 
went  home  with  his  wife  to  erect  a  family  altar. 

In  a  few  weeks  they  both  united  with  the  church  of  which  I  was 
pastor,  and  up  to  the  lastest  knowledge  I  had  of  them,  they  were 
beloved  and  respected  members. 

Infidelity  dreadful  to  the  Awakened  Sinner. — In 

1826,  when  God  was  pouring  out  his  Spirit  on  my  congregation, 
there  was  living  among  us  a  young  man  of  an  active  and  enterpris- 
ing mind,  who,  as  he  subsequently  informed  me,  to  get  rid  of  the 
restraint  imposed  by  the  self-denying  doctrines  of  the  gospel,  had 
tried  to  become  a  Universalist,  but  perceiving  that  the  Bible  was 
directly  opposed  to  his  new  sentiments,  had  rejected  the  unaccommo- 
dating book,  and  become  an  infidel. 

Until  the  revival  had  been  in  progress  nearly  a  month,  and  more 
than  one  hundred  were  rejoicing  in  hope,  this  young  man  kept  him- 
self aloof  from  what  he  considered  a  foolish  and  a  needless  excite- 
ment. But  on  the  6th  of  December  he  was  induced,  by  a  sense  of 
politeness,  to  accompany  a  lady,  with  whom  he  boarded,  to  an  even- 
ing lecture. 

He  went  to  this  meeting,  however,  with  a  full  determination  to 
keep  his  mind  engrossed  with  worldly  thoughts,  and  succeeded  so  well 
that,  on  his  return  home,  he  had  no  distinct  recollection  of  any  one 
truth  that  had  been  advanced. 

After  supper,  the  lady  of  the  house,  and  a  pious  young  woman 
who  resided  in  the  family,  left  the  young  man  in  the  parlor,  and 
retired  to  their  own  rooms  in  a  distant  part  of  the  house,  to  have  a 
season  of  prayer  for  the  thoughtless  boarder.  While  they  were  on 
their  knees,  pleading  in  a  low  tone  of  voice  for  him  at  the  throne  of 
grace,  they  were  alarmed  by  a  cry  of  anguish  from  the  parlor.  On 
repairing  thither,  they  found  the  family  Bible  open  upon  the  table, 
and  the  young  man  standing  upon  the  floor  with  strong  marks  of 


286  '  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

agony  upon  liis  countenance.  On  seeing  the  ladies  his  pride  rallied^ 
and  to  the  question,  "  What  is  the  matter  ?"  he  was,  as  he  after- 
wards told  us,  about  to  answer,  "  Nothing,"  but  before  the  words 
had  passed  his  lips,  his  heaving  bosom  gave  vent  to  another  cry  of 
anguish,  and  he  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  I  am  an  infidel,  pray  for  me,"  and 
fell  prostrate  on  the  floor. 

About  12  o'clock  at  night  he  requested  that  some  of  his  compan- 
ions of  the  legal  profession,  for  he  was  a  lawyer,  might  be  sent  for, 
that  they,  seeing  his  anguish,  might  escape  the  hopeless  abyss  into 
which  he  had  fallen.  At  two  in  the  morning  I  was  called  from  my 
bed  to  visit  him.  Upon  entering  the  room  I  found  him  upon  his 
knees  ;  not  attempting  to  pray,  but  sustaining  himself  by  a  chair, 
and  giving  vent  to  the  anguish  of  his  lacerated  bosom.  I  np- 
prcached  him  and  inquired  the  state  of  his  mind,  but  only  received 
the  answer,  "  I  am  an  infidel  !  I  have  denied  my  Saviour,  and  am 
now  given  up  of  God  to  eat  of  the  fruit  of  ray  own  doing."  His 
soul  seemed  sunk  in  despair,  while  the  shiverings  of  a  strange,  un-  - 
earthly  horror,  which  ran  through  his  frame,  had  so  prostrated  his 
muscular  powers,  that  he  was  unable  to  stand  witliout  support. 
After  giving  him  some  instructions  from  the  word  of  God,  and  pray- 
ing for  him,  I  left  him  under  the  care  of  some  judicious  friends,  and 
returned  home. 

The  next  evening  there  was  a  meeting  of  inquiry,  at  which  there 
were  some  seventy  or  eighty  persons,  and  among  them  was  the  de- 
spairing young  lawyer,  who  came,  supported  by  two  friends.  Here 
I  ao-ain  endeavored  to  lead  hira  to  Christ,  but  to  every  overture  of 
mercy  he  would  reply,  "  These  provisions  were  once  for  me,  but  I 
have  rejected  them.  I  have  sinned  away  my  day  of  grace.  I  am 
an  infidel  1" 

In  this  state  of  mind  he  left  the  meeting,  and  continued  to  trem- 
ble under  a  fearful  looking-for  of  judgment  and  fiery  indignation 
from  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  until  11  o'clock  that  night,  when  his 
obdurate  will  was  humbled  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  ;  and  the  heart- 
rending groans  of  the  convicted  infidel  were  exchanged  for  the  joy- 
ful song  of  the  child  of  God. 

His  transition  from  the  bitterness  of  a  hopeless  sinner,  to  joy  and 
peace  in  believing,  was  sudden  ;  but  his  joy,  mstead  of  being  like  the 


AKD   KEVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  287 

morning  cloud  and  early  dew,  has  been  like  the  light  which  is  shed 
upon  the  path  of  the  just,  shiuing  more  and  more.  He  has  been  a 
pillar  in  the  church  twenty-four  years,  and  for  more  than  fifteen  a 
ruling  elder. 

A  Remarkable  Revival. — The  following  is  a  brief  narra- 
tive of  a  work  of  grace  which  occurred  in  the  experience  of  Rey. 
William  Wisner,  D.D.,  in  the  winter  of  1826  and  1827  : 

For  two  years  next  preceding  the  time  above  mentioned,  there 
had  been  fewer  conversions  to  Christ,  and  less  deep  seriousness  in 
our  village,  than  at  any  time  since  my  coming  to  that  place. 

In  the  latter  part  of  June,  arrangements  were  made  for  celebrat- 
ing the  fourth  of  July  in  the  usual  mannf r,  but  a  few  Christians, 
feeling  that  they  could  not  enjoy  such  a  celebration,  resolved  to  meet 
by  themselves,  and  observe  the  day  as  a  season  of  thanksgiving  to 
Almighty  God  for  our  great  national  blessiugs. 

This  measure  was  severely  censured  by  some  of  the  people,  and 
many  predicted  a  thin  attendance  at  the  sanctuary.  One  prominent 
member  of  my  congregation  remarked,  that  the  pulpit  would  ac- 
commodate all  who  would  wish  to  attend.  But  notwithstanding  all 
the  opposition,  and  ill-natured  remarks,  when  the  day  arrived,  the 
sanctuary  was  crowded  at  an  early  hour,  and  though  seats  were 
brought  into  the  aisles,  the  congregation  could  not  all  be  accommo- 
dated, and  the  gentleman  who  had  predicted  that  the  pulpit  would 
hold  all  that  would  attend,  was  not  only  deprived  of  a  seat,  but 
could  not  get  further  than  the  door  of  the  vestibule,  where  he  stood 
on  his  feet  through  the  whole  service,  a  deeply  attentive  hearer  of 
the  discourse. 

In  the  course  of  the  next  day,  the  general  conversation  in  the 
street,  and  in  the  places  of  public  resort,  was  the  religious  celebra- 
tion of  the  fourth  of  July.  Though  some  affected  to  despise  it,  the 
most  were  convicted  in  their  hearts,  that  to  be  consistent  we  should 
either  renounce  our  belief  in  our  obligation  to  God  for  our  national 
independence,  or  regard  the  day  as  a  thanksgiving  to  him.  Con- 
versing with  a  lawyer,  who  was  a  prominent  man  in  the  political 
celebration,  he  said  to  me,  "  I  am  convinced  that  Christians  ought 


288  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

to  observe  the  day  as  you  have,  but  those  who  have  no  religion  will 
long  keei^  it  in  the  other  way." 

From  this  day  the  conversation  through  our  village  was  more  on 
the  subject  of  religion  than  it  had  been  for  a  long  time.  The 
people  seemed  to  feel  that  if  Christians  regarded  religion  of  sufficient 
importance  to  have  it  govern  them  in  their  public  festivities,  it  was 
time  for  them  to  inquire  whether  they  could  do  without  it. 

A  female  prayer-meeting,  which  had  been  neglected  for  many 
months,  was  revived,  and  a  youth's  prayer-meeting  was  established 
and  kept  up  once  a  week.  Our  stated  prayer-meetings  were  well 
attended,  and  a  spirit  of  earnest  and  agonizing  prayer  began  to  pre- 
vail among  the  members  of  the  church. 

Our  prayer-meetings  now  became  more  frequent,  and  when  two  or 
three  Christians  would  meet  together  accidentally,  or  on  business, 
they  would  generally  spend  a  few  moments  in  prayer.     By  the  fifth 
of  November  there  were  sixty-five  indulging  hope,  and  some  thirty-, 
eight  were  added  to  the  Church. 

From  this  Sabbath  the  work  seemed  rapidly  to  decline,  and  con- 
tinued to  do  so  until  the  enemies  of  religion  began  to  rejoice  aloud 
that  the  excitement,  as  they  called  it,  was  over,  and  only  a  few 
young  people  and  children  had  been  affected  by  it. 

On  the  next  Sabbath  I  preached,  with  an  aching  heart,  from  the 
text,  the  triumphing  of  the  wicked  is  short.  At  the  close  of  the 
exercises,  Monday  was  appointed  as  a  day  of  humihation  and 
prayer,  and  when  it  came,  it  found  the  whole  church  with  one  accord 
in  one  place.  Tuesday  and  Wednesday  the  little  church  continued 
instant  in  prayer.  That  evening,  November  29th,  at  our  weekly 
Wednesday  evening  lecture,  two  or  three  individuals  requested  the 
prayers  of  God's  people,  and  that  night  one  of  the  leading  phy- 
sicians in  the  place  obtained  comfort  from  the  Lord.  The  next 
morning,  as  we  were  a  few  of  us  met  at  his  house  for  prayer,  his 
wife  requested  us  to  pray  for  a  sister  of  his,  who  was  up  stairs  in 
deep  distress  of  mind.  While  we  were  on  our  knees  praying  for  her, 
that  she  might  be  brought  to  submit  herself  to  God,  and  put  her 
trust  in  the  crucified  Saviour,  she  came  down  so  full  of  joy  and 
peace,  that  she  wished  us  to  return  thanks  to  the  Lord  for  snatching 


AIs'D    REVIVAL    IXGIDENTS.  289 

her  as  a  brand  from  the  biiniiug.  She  told  us  that  she  had  resisted 
the  strivings  of  the  spirit,  and  had  rejoiced  when  she  thought  the 
revival  was  over  ;  but  now  she  could  not  be  thankful  enough  that 
God  had  not  given  her  up  to  walk  in  her  own  way. 

A  new  impulse  was  now  given  to  the  work.  Friday  and  Saturday 
were  days  of  much  fervency  of  prayer,  and  several  were  brought  to 
submit  themselves  unto  God.  On  Monday  evening,  at  my  meeting 
of  inquiry,  the  room  was  crowded  with  anxious  sinners,  and  two  pre- 
cious souls,  we  had  reason  to  hope,  were  in  that  meeting  delivered 
from  their  bondage  to  Satan. 

The  next  morning,  as  I  was  going  into  a  house  where  the  man 
and  his  wife  were  the  night  before  convicted  of  sin,  a  young  man 
came  running  across  the  street,  and  in  great  distress  threw  his  arms 
around  me,  and  besought  me  to  pray  for  him.  I  told  him  I  could 
not  do  so  there,  but  I  would  meet  him  in  thirty  minutes  at  Mr. 
Herrick's,  a  merchant  who  had  recently  been  converted  to  Christ, 
and  pray  for  him.  I  went  into  the  house  where  I  had  intended  to 
visit,  found  the  man  and  his  wife  both  without  hope,  and  told  them 
they  might  meet  me  in  half  an  hour  at  the  place  I  had  appointed 
for  the  young  man.  I  went  immediately  to  Mr.  H.'s,  and  told  him 
we  would  a  few  of  us  be  at  his  house  at  nine  o'clock,  to  spend  an 
hour  in  prayer.  I  then  notified  two  or  three  Christians  of  the  meet- 
ing which  I  had  thus  unexpectedly  appointed,  and  at  nine  we  com- 
menced praying  with  three  or  four,  or  perhaps  half  a  dozen.  Chris- 
tians, and  four  anxious  persons.  As  soon  as  we  began  to  pray, 
the  Spirit  of  God  seemed  to  come  down  with  great  power,  and  three 
of  the  four  anxious  persons  soon  began  to  rejoice  in  the  Lord. 
"  When  these  things  were  noised  abroad  the  multitude  came  to- 
gether," and  in  a  short  time  two  good-sized  rooms,  which  opened 
into  each  other,  were  crowded  to  overflowing.  The  Spirit  continued 
present  with  his  regenerating  influence,  and  many  who  came  to  see 
what  was  doing,  went  away  rejoicing  in  Christ. 

At  noon  I  endeavored  to  send  the  people  away,  but  they  would 
not  be  persuaded  to  disperse,  and  the  whole  day  was  spent  in  prayer 
and  religious  conversation. 

When  the  evening  came  I  sent  them  home,  but  not  until  I  had 
promised  to  meet  them  there  the  next  morning  at  nine  o'clock. 

13 


290  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

That  eveniug  we  had  a  prayer-meeting  in  the  court-room,  which 
was  much  crowded  and  very  solemn,  and  several  there  indulged  a 
hope  of  pardon  and  eternal  life.  At  nine  o'clock  the  congregation 
was  dismissed,  and  we  returned  home  with  more  of  a  disposition  to 
pray  than  sleep. 

Wednesday  morning  at  nine,  I  met  the  congregation  again  at 
brother  H.'s,  but  the  assembly,  by  the  time  I  arrired,  was  so  large 
that  we  were  obliged  to  remove  to  the  court-house,  which  was  filled 
to  its  utmost  capacity  with  Christians  and  anxious  sinners.  The 
whole  congregation  of  the  impenitent  were  by  this  time  ready 
to  acknowledge  that  this  was  the  work  of  the  Lord,  and  each  one 
felt  a  deep  interest  about  his  soul.  We  remained  here,  with  an 
hour's  intermission,  until  nine  at  night,  when  the  congregation  were 
again  reluctantly  sent  away. 

The  next  morning  we  met  at  the  sanctuary  to  observe  ojir  annual 
State  thanksgiving.  The  house  was  so  greatly  crowded  at  an  early 
hour,  that  though  it  was  large,  and. the  aisle  supplied  with  benches, 
all  could  not  be  seated.  An  awful  solemnity  pervaded  the  whole 
assembly,  and  for  a  time  the  only  noise  that  was  heard  was  the  half- 
suppressed  sobs  which  now  and  then  escaped  from  an  overbur- 
dened soul.  Through  the  remainder  of  the  week,  the  court-room 
was  crowded  from  nine  in  the  morning  until  nine  at  night  with  pray- 
ing and  inquiring  souls,  and  very  many  of  our  leading  citizens  were 
brought  to  put  their  trust  in  the  Lamb  of  God. 

From  the  last  week  in  September  until  the  last  week  in  January, 
there  were  about  three  hundred  hopeful  conversions  in  my  own  con- 
gregation, and  two  hundred  and  twenty  of  them  became  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  which  I  had  the  charge. 

There  was  no  re-action  at  the  close  of  the  work,  but  its  sweet 
savor  remained,  and  was  a  blessing  to  all.  I  do  not  believe  that 
there  were  three  impenitent  sinners  in  the  place  who  would  not  at 
any  time  within  a  year,  have  rejoiced  to  have  had  just  such  another 
work  of  grace. 

The  Unconscious  Convert. — Among  the  prominent  mem- 
bers of  my  congregation  was  the  leading  physician  of  the  j^lace. 
He  was  the  son  of  a  Quaker,  and  though  he  had  retained  enough  of 


AND   EEYIVAL   INCIDENTS.  .  291 

tlie  peculiarities  of  that  sect,  to  be  able  to  ward  off  the  truths  of 
God  from  his  conscience,  he  had  not  enough  of  their  commendable 
morality  to  keep  him  from  becomiug  a  notorious  horse-racer  and  a 
gambler. 

His  wife  was  a  superior  woman.  She  was  well  educated,  and  had 
an  independent  mind,  and  mourned  over  his  pernicious  habits.  Not- 
withstanding the  influence  of  her  husband,  she  was  brought,  by  the 
grace  of  God,  to  indulge  a  hope  in  Christ,  and  presented  herself  to 
the  session,  and  was  approved  and  ordered  to  be  received,  with  a 
number  of  others,  on  the  next  Sabbath . 

On  Saturday  afternoon,  she  told  her  husband  that  she  had  been 
examined,  and,  if  he  had  no  objections,  intended  to  make  a  public 
profession  of  religion.  He  said  he  had  objections  to  her  taking  such 
a  step.  She  told  him  to  state  them,  and  if  she  could  feel  that  they 
would  reheve  her  from  her  obligation  to  Christ,  she  would  defer 
uniting  with  the  church  until  they  could  be  removed.  He  replied 
that  he  was  dissatisfied  with  our  confession  of  faith.  She  then  got 
the  compendium  to  which  the  candidates  were  required  to  assent, 
and  read  it  article  by  article,  and  when  she  had  got  through,  he  told 
her  to  go  on.  She  told  him  she  was  at  the  end,  and  had  read  all  to 
which  the  candidates  were  required  to  give  their  assent.  He  said  it 
could  not  be  that  she  had  read  the  whole  of  that  confession,  which  I 
used  on  the  admission  of  members.  She  assured  him  she  had  read 
every  word,  and  requested  him  to  examine  it  for  himself.  He  left 
the  room  without  saying  a  word,  and  she  had  no  more  conversation 
with  him  that  evening.  He  was  unhappy,  but  knew  not  why,  and 
endeavored  to  avoid  company. 

Some  time  in  the  evening  a  man  called  to  have  him  go  a  few 
miles  out  of  town,  to  visit  a  sick  woman.  He  sent  the  messenger  on 
ahead,  that  he  might  ride  alone,  as  he  did  not  wish  to  converse  with 
any  one.  While  he  was  riding  through  the  woods,  thinking  about 
the  character  of  Jehovah,  as  he  had  heard  it  preached  in  the 
sanctuary,  and  explained  by  his  pastor  in  private  conversation,  all 
on  a  sudden  the  subject  was  presented  to  his  mind  in  such  a  manner, 
that  he  began  to  be  filled  with  delight  in  its  contemplation. 
"  Surely,"  said  he  to  himself,  "  such  a  God  ought  to  be  loved,  and 
his  moral  government  submitted  to  and  delighted  in,"  and  then  he 


292  EEMAEKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

was  filled  with  joy  and  peace.  But  soon  it  occurred  to  him,  that  he 
was  the  enemy  of  this  God,  and  might  probably  remain  His  enemy  to 
all  eternity,  and  be  cast  out  from  His  presence.  This  made  him 
unhappy.  But  then  he  thought  it  would  be  right  in  God  to  deal 
with  him  according  to  his  sins  ;  and  then  the  glory  of  the  divine 
perfections  would  fill  his  mind,  and  banish  all  thought  of  himself, 
and  he  would  again  be  filled  with  joy  and  peace.  In  this  way  his 
mind  alternated  between  joy,  in  view  of  the  divine  perfections,  and  a 
dread  of  remaining  God's  enemy,  until  he  had  prescribed  for  the 
sick  woman  and  returned  home. 

He  went  to  the  church  next  morning  with  his  wife,  and  saw  her 
join  herself  to  the  Lord  in  an  everlasting  covenant,  and  became  so 
delighted  with  the  plan  of  salvation,  that  he  could  scarcely  think  of 
himself  at  all,  but  did  not  have  the  least  suspicion  that  his  heart 
had  been  changed,  until  the  middle  of  the  week,  when  he  began  to, 
hope  that  he  had  been  born  again.  At  the  next  communion  season, 
he,  with  thirteen  other  young  converts,  openly  took  the  covenant  of 
God  upon  himself,  and  became  an  active  member  of  the  church. 

After  a  suitable  trial,  he  was  chosen  and  ordained  a  ruling  elder, 
and  for  many  years  was  one  of  my  efficient  helpers  in  bringing 
souls  to  Christ.  He  still  lives,  and  is  an  elder  in  a  Presbyterian 
church. 

Fatal  Advice. — In  the  winter  of  1826,  a  gay  and  thoughtless 
girl  from  the  city  of  New  York  came  to  reside  in  our  village  ;  and 
as  her  parents  were  members  of  my  congregation,  she  came  under 
my  pastoral  charge. 

Soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  stranger,  there  was  more  than  ordi- 
nary attention  among  my  people,  and  she  seemed  to  partake  of  the 
general  seriousness  that  pervaded  the  circle  in  which  she  moved. 

In  all  my  instruction  I  endeavored  to  deepen  her  sense  of  guilt, 
and  to  show  her  that  there  was  no  help  for  such  a  sinner,  but  in 
Christ  ;  and  that  the  only  way  to  avail  herself  of  his  aid,  was 
by  repentance  and  faith.  Under  this  instruction  she  became  more 
rationally  and  feelingly  convinced  of  her  lost  and  perishing  condition; 
and  I  began  to  hope  that  she  was  not  far  from  the  kingdom  of  God. 
But  while  she  was  in  this  state  of  mind,  she  was  visited  by  a  very 


AND   RE\^VAL    INCIDENTS.  293 

good  young  man,  who,  finding  her  much  distressed,  and  exceedingly 
anxious  to  know  what  to  do  to  obtain  comfort,  told  her,  "  she 
must  pray  to  God  to  forgive  her  sins,  and  He  who  lieard  the  young 
ravens  when  they  cried  would  hear  her." 

The  young  brother  called  soon  after  to  see  me,  and  frankly  told 
me  that  he  had  been  to  see  C •,  and  had  advised  her  to  pray. 

"  What,"  said  I,  "  did  you  tell  her  to  pray  before  she  gave  up 
her  opposition  to  God  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  told  her  to  pray,  that  G^od  would  forgive  her  sins,  and 
have  mercy  upon  her." 

"And  where,  my  dear  brother,  do  you  find  any  warrant  in  the 
Scriptures  for  such  advice  to  an  awakened  sinner  ?" 

"  Does  not  the  Apostle  say  that  he  '  will  that  men  pray  every- 
where '  ?" 

"  Yes,  but  he  adds  in  the  same  verse,  '  lifting  up  holy  hands,  with- 
out wrath  and  doubting.'  The  prayer,  which  the  Apostle  recommends 
is  that  which  flows  from  a  benevolent  heart,  and  is  offered  up  in 
faith." 

"  Well,  did  not  Peter  advise  Simon  to  pray,  that  the  thoughts  of 
his  wicked  heart  might  be  forgiven  him  ?" 

"  Yes  he  did,  but  he  told  him  to  repent  first  of  his  great  sin. 
This  is  my  objection  to  your  advice ;  you  did  not  tell  her  to  repent 
first,  or  believe  first,  but  to  pray  while  her  heart  was  rankling  with 
enmity  against  God.  Slie  has  been  wanting  to  do  something  beside 
repent  and  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  I  am  afraid  you 
have  supplied  this  want  to  the  injury  of  her  soul  I" 

"  But  do  YOU  never  tell  impenitent  sinners  to  pray  ?" 

*'  Yes  very  often,  and  show  them  their  guilt  for  neglecting  prayer, 
but  I  at  the  same  time  endeavor  to  show  them,  that  to  approach 
God  in  any  other  way  than  through  faith  in  Christ,  will  only  add 
insult  to  guilt.  Jesus  said  when  he  was  on  earth,  "  No  man  cometh 
to  the  Father  but  through  me,"  and  for  us  to  encourage  sinners 
to  offer  up  prayer  in  any  other  name,  or  without  faith  in  Him  is 
only  leading  them  out  of  the  way  of  Kfe." 

The  young  brother  seemed  to  perceive  his  error,  but  was  little 
relieved  in  his  feelings,  when  he  learned  that  the  young  woman  had 
found  relief  in  the  prayer  which  she  had  offered  and  was  full  of  joy 


202  ^  KEMAEKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

was  filled  with  joy  and  peace.  But  soon  it  occurred  to  him,  that  he 
was  the  enemy  of  this  God,  and  might  probably  remain  His  enemy  to 
all  eternity,  and  be  cast  out  from  His  presence.  This  made  him 
unhappy.  But  then  he  thought  it  would  be  right  in  God  to  deal 
with  him  according  to  his  sins  ;  and  then  the  glory  of  the  divine 
perfections  would  fill  his  mind,  and  banish  all  thought  of  himself, , 
and  he  would  again  be  filled  with  joy  and  peace.  In  this  way  his 
mind  alternated  between  joy,  in  view  of  the  divine  perfections,  and  a 
dread  of  remaining  God's  enemy,  until  he  had  prescribed  for  the 
sick  woman  and  returned  home. 

He  went  to  the  churcli  next  morning  with  his  wife,  and  saw  her 
join  herself  to  the  Lord  in  an  everlasting  covenant,  and  became  so 
delighted  with  the  plan  of  salvation,  that  he  could  scarcely  think  of 
himself  at  all,  but  did  not  have  the  least  suspicion  that  his  heart 
had  been  changed,  until  the  middle  of  the  week,  when  he  began  to 
hope  that  he  had  been  born  again.  At  the  next  communion  season, 
he,  with  thirteen  other  young  converts,  openly  took  the  covenant  of 
God  upon  himself,  and  became  an  active  member  of  the  church. 

After  a  suitable  trial,  he  was  chosen  and  ordained  a  ruling  elder, 
and  for  many  years  was  one  of  my  efficient  helpers  in  bringing 
souls  to  Christ.  He  still  lives,  and  is  an  elder  in  a  Presbyterian 
church. 

Fatal  Advice. — In  the  winter  of  1826,  a  gay  and  thoughtless 
girl  from  the  city  of  New  York  came  to  reside  in  our  village  ;  and 
as  her  parents  were  members  of  my  congregation,  she  came  under 
my  pastoral  charge. 

Soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  stranger,  there  was  more  than  ordi- 
nary attention  among  my  people,  and  she  seemed  to  partake  of  the 
general  seriousness  that  pervaded  the  circle  in  which  she  moved. 

In  all  my  instruction  I  endeavored  to  deepen  her  sense  of  guilt, 
and  to  show  her  that  there  was  no  help  for  such  a  sinner,  but  in 
Christ  ;  and  that  the  only  way  to  avail  herself  of  his  aid,  was 
by  repentance  and  faith.  Under  this  instruction  she  became  more 
rationally  and  feelingly  convinced  of  her  lost  and  perishing  condition; 
and  I  began  to  hope  that  she  was  not  far  from  the  kingdom  of  God. 
But  while  she  was  in  this  state  of  mind,  she  was  visited  by  a  very 


AND   rvE\aVAL    INCIDENTS.  293 

good  young'  man,  who,  fiudiug  licr  mucli  distressed,  and  exceedingly 
anxious  to  know  what  to  do  to  obtain  comfort,  told  her,  "  she 
must  pray  to  God  to  forgive  her  sins,  and  He  who  heard  the  young 
ravens  when  they  cried  would  hear  her." 

The  young  brother  called  soon  after  to  see  me,  and  frankly  told 
me  that  he  had  been  to  see  C ,  and  had  advised  her  to  pray. 

"  What,"  said  I,  "  did  you  tell  her  to  pray  before  she  gave  up 
her  opposition  to  God  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  told  her  to  pray,  that  G^od  would  forgive  her  sins,  and 
have  mercy  upon  her." 

"And  where,  my  dear  brother,  do  you  find  any  warrant  in  the 
Scriptures  for  such  advice  to  an  awakened  sinner  ?" 

"  Does  not  the  Apostle  say  that  he  '  will  that  men  pray  every- 
where '  ?" 

"  Yes,  but  he  adds  in  the  same  verse,  '  lifting  up  holy  hands,  with- 
out wrath  and  doubting.'  The  prayer,  which  the  Aj^ostle  recommends 
is  that  which  flows  from  a  benevolent  heart,  and  is  offered  up  in 
faith." 

"  Well,  did  not  Peter  advise  Simon  to  pray,  that  the  thoughts  of 
his  wicked  heart  might  be  forgiven  him  ?" 

"  Yes  he  did,  but  he  told  him  to  repent  first  of  his  great  sin. 
This  is  my  objection  to  your  advice;  you  did  not  tell  her  to  repent 
first,  or  believe  first,  but  to  pray  while  her  heart  was  rankling  with 
enmity  against  God.  She  has  been  wanting  to  do  something  beside 
repent  and  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  I  am  afraid  you 
have  supplied  this  want  to  the  injury  of  her  soul  I" 

"  But  do  YOU  never  tell  impenitent  sinners  to  pray  ?" 

"  Yes  very  often,  and  show  them  their  guilt  for  neglecting  prayer, 
but  I  at  the  same  time  endeavor  to  show  them,  that  to  approach 
God  in  any  other  way  than  through  faith  in  Christ,  will  only  add 
insult  to  guilt.  Jesus  said  when  he  was  on  earth,  "  No  man  cometh 
to  the  Father  but  through  me,"  and  for  us  to  encourage  sinners 
to  offer  up  prayer  in  any  other  name,  or  without  faith  in  Him  is 
only  leading  them  out  of  the  way  of  hfe." 

The  young  brother  seemed  to  perceive  his  error,  but  was  Httlc 
relieved  in  his  feelings,  when  he  learned  that  the  young  woman  had 
found  relief  in  the  prayer  which  she  had  offered  and  was  full  of  joy 


294  •  REMAEKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

My  own  fears  were  not  allayed  by  this  change.  I  rather  expected 
it,  and  trembled  for  the  issue.  I  thought  I  knew  something  of  her 
temperament,  and  of  her  bad  instruction,  and  was  afraid  she  would 
rest  on  her  prayers  instead  of  Christ. 

She  appeared  joyful  and  happy  a  few  weeks,  and  I  began  almost 
to  hope,  that  my  fears  were  groundless  ;  but  as  soon  as  the  excite- 
ment occasioned  by  the  novelty  of  her  position  had  passed  away,  her 
interest  in  religious  things  began  to  decline,  and  she  soon  returned 
to  her  former  course  of  life. 

The  Daily  Prayer-meeting. — At  a  time  when  there  was 
no  special  attention  to  religion  in  my  congregation,  I  suggested  to 
my  elders  the  plan  of  having  a  daily  prayer-meeting  in  one  of  the 
basement  rooms  of  our  church,  through  the  fall  and  winter.  They 
were  pleased  with  the  suggestion,  and  v/e  adopted  the  following 
regulations,  etc.  :  The  janitor  was  to  open  the  house,  and  keep  the 
room  warm,  from  nine  in  the  morning  until  twelve,  and  from  two  in 
the  afternoon  until  four.  Any  Christian  who  felt  that  he  would  like 
to  spend  a  little  time,  within  those  hours,  in  prayer,  was  invited  to 
go  to  that  place,  and  if  there  should  be  no  one  there,  to  kneel  down 
alone  and  plead  v/ith  the  hearer  of  prayer,  to  pour  out  his  Holy 
Spirit  upon  our  city,  and  if  there  were  any  there,  to  spend  the  time 
in  united  prayer  with  those  assembled  for  the  same  object.  All  had 
the  privilege  of  remaining  as  long  or  as  short  a  time  as  they 
pleased. 

The  impenitent  were  informed  of  the  meeting  and  invited  to 
attend  it,  at  any  time,  and  at  all  times,  when  they  wished  to  be 
where  the  people  of  God  were  assembled  to  pray  for  them. 

The  result  of  this  arrangement  was,  that  there  were  usually  two 
or  three  Christians  on  their  knees  in  that  place,  pleading  the  pro- 
mises, that  where  that  number  should  meet  in  Christ's  name,  he 
would  meet  with  them,  and  that  when  they  should  agree,  touching 
anything  they  might  ask,  he  would  do  it  for  them.  If  a  brother  or 
a  sister  had  only  time  to  unite  in  one  season  of  prayer,  they  would 
join  that  little  circle,  and  if  an  impenitent  sinner  wished  to  hear  the 
voice  of  prayer,  he  or  she  would  visit  that  place.  I  used  to  go  there 
as  often  as  I  could,  and  usually  found  from  one  to  fifteen  or  twenty 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  295 

engaged  in  -prayer,  and  oftentimes  a  number  of  impenitent  persons, 
whom  the  Lord  had  directed  to  our  little  Bethel. 

The  Almighty  heard  the  prayers  which  were  constantly  goiug  up 
from  that  place,  and  shed  down  his  Spirit  like  the  dew  upon  the 
mown  grassi  and  like  gentle  showers  that  water  the  earth,  and  our 
basement  room  became  the  birth-place  of  souls,  as  well  as  a  place  of 
refreshing  to  the  people  of  God.  This  plan  consumed  but  little 
time,  broke  in  upon  no  business  arrangements,  created  no  unusual 
excitement,  and  made  no  noise  ;  and  yet  was  a  means  in  the  hand 
of  God  of  strengthening  the  graces  of  his  children,  and  of  bringing 
many  souls  home  to  their  Heavenly  Father.  Though  there  was  at 
no  time  what  would  be  called  a  powerful  revival,  yet  there  was  a 
gentle  work  of  grace  going  on  in  my  congregation  through  the  en- 
tire period  of  our  meeting  ;  and  its  precious  influence  upon  the 
church  and  society  was  visible  for  a  long  time,  and,  I  have  no  doubt, 
was  an  occasion  of  joy  among  the  angels  in  heaven. 

The  Woman  -who  kept  out  of  the  Way.— In  1815, 
while  spending  a  Sabbath  in  a  place  where  they  had  no  stated 
preaching,  I  put  up  with  a  deacon  in  the  church,  whose  sister-in- 
law  had  come  from  a  neighboring  town  to  spend  the  Sabbath  with 
him.  She  was  a  gay,  thoughtless  girl  of  about  eighteen  years  of 
age.  Knowing  that  her  widowed  mother  was  a  pious  woman,  and 
felt  anxious  about  her  daughter,  I  wished  to  have  some  personal 
conversation  with  her  before  she  went  home.  She  seemed  to  be 
aware  of  my  intention,  and  so  entirely  avoided  me,  that  I  had  no 
opportunity  of  speaking  to  her,  until  she  was  ready  on  Monday 
morning  to  return  home.  When  she  started,  I  accompanied  her  to 
the  door,  and  as  I  assisted  her  to  get  on  her  horse,  I  told  her  that  I 
was  deeply  concerned  for  her  soul ;  I  felt  that  she  was  in  imminent 
danger,  and  entreated  her  to  remember  her  Creator  now  in  the 
days  of  her  youth.  She  made  me  no  answer,  but  rode  off,  and  I 
felt  that  I  had  lost  an  opportunity  of  doing  her  good. 

About  a  year  afterwards,  I  was  sent  for  to  administer  the  sacra- 
ment to  that  church,  and  after  the  preparatory  lecture,  the  deacons 
told  me  there  was  a  candidate  to  be  examined,  whom  I  found  to  be  the 
young  woman  who  had  so  skillfully  avoided  me  on  a  former  occasion- 


296  remaekable  conversions 

On  inquiring  what  it  was  that  first  called  up  her  attention  to  her 
lost  condition,  she  informed  me  that  it  was  the  few  words  I  said  to 
her  when  helping  her  on  her  horse.  That  they  rung  in  her  ears  all 
the  way  home,  and  deprived  her  of  rest  until  she  found  it  in  Christ. 
Her  successful  evasion  of  a  more  deliberate  conversation,  was  doubt- 
less employed  to  bring  a  brief  word  home  the  more  forcibly  to  her 
unguarded  heart. 

The  Conversion  of  a  little  Child.— In  the  congregation 
where  the  writer  was  first  settled,  there  was  a  little  boy  who  had 
been  consecrated  to  God  in  baptism  at  eight  days  old,  and  carefully 
taught  the  great  truths  of  religion,  as  fast  as  his  opening  intellect 
was  capable  of  understanding  them.  He  never  knew  a  day  whefifi 
his  parents  did  not  bend  the  knee  morning  and  evening  in  family 
prayer,  and  had  no  recollection  of  the  -first  time  he  was  parried  to 
the  house  of  God  ;  nor  could  he  remember  when  he  did  not  know 
that  he  was  a  lost  sinner,  and  that  Jesus  Christ  was  crucified  for  his 
salvation. 

When  this  child  was  a  few  days  short  of  five  years  old,  his  father 
took  him  in  his  arms  and  carried  him  to  our  Wednesday  evening 
conference  and  prayer-meeting.  That  evening  I  read  a  chapter  in 
the  Bible,  and  after  I  had  lectured  upon  it,  gave  all  present  an  op- 
portunity to  ask  questions  in  relation  to  the  subject  of  the  discourse  ; 
when,  to  my  surprise,  the  little  boy,  with  great  modesty  and  much 
feeling,  made  several  inquiries  respecting  the  meaning  of  the  chapter, 
in  a  way  that  satisfied  me  he  was  making  application  of  its  truths  to 
his  own  case. 

After  meeting,  his  father  took  him  in  his  arms  and  carried  him 
home,  when  the  boy  remarked  that  he  was  very  glad  he  had  been 
to  the  meeting,  it  made  him  feel  so  very  happy. 

From  that  evening  the  child  appeared  as  if  '*  old  things  had  passed 
away,  and  all  things  had  become  new."  His  closet  was  his  chosen 
retreat,  in  which  he  spent  much  time,  and  where  he  experienced 
some  sore  temptations  from  the  adversary  of  souls.  He  frequently 
came  from  his  place  of  prayer  with  his  eyes  filled  with  tears,  and 
told  his  mother  the  joys  or  sorrows  he  had  experienced  there.  When 
playing  with  his  young  associates,  if  they  used  bad  language,  he 


AND   KEVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  297 

would  reprove  them  with  tears,  and  leaving  them  return  to  his  quiet 
home. 

At  thirteen  he  united  with  the  church  of  Christ,  and  has  now  been 
for  sixteen  years  preaching  the  gospel,  and  has  been  a  means  in  the 
hands  of  God  of  bringing  hundreds  to  Christ. 

A  Revival  resulting  from  an  Oversight. — A  congrega- 
tion in  Central  New  York  was  thrown  into  great  disorder,  and  for 
years  had  its  influence  for  good  paralyzed  by  a  quarrel  between  two 
of  the  leading  families  in  the  village.  Various  efforts  had  been 
made  to  settle  the  difficulty  without  effect,  when  the  church,  with 
the  consent  of  the  contending  parties,  agreed  to  submit  the  whole 
matter  to  a  number  of  ministers  not  belonging  to  that  presbytery, 
of  whom  I  was  one.  But  as  the  council  belonged  to  other  presby- 
teries than  the  one  with  which  that  church  stood  connected,  on  call- 
ing for  the  commission  under  which  we  were  to  act,  to  our  surprise 
we  were  informed  that  their  presbytery  had  not  even  been  consulted 
on  the  subject.  We  at  once  agreed  that  we  had  no  power  to 
act  officially  in  the  matter,  but  recommended  to  the  church  and  the 
parties,  to  unite  with  us  in  a  season  of  prayer,  for  the  gracious  inter- 
position of  Grod's  Spirit.  All  seemed  to  fall  in  with  this  proposal, 
and  we  adjourned  from  the  place  which  was  intended  as  the  arena 
for  a  desperate  conflict  between  the  brethren,  to  a  place  where 
prayer  was  wont  to  be  made.  As  this  was  about  ten  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  we  continued  at  the  throne  of  grace  until  twelve,  when  we 
had  a  recess  for  dinner.  After  dinner  we  re-assembled,  and  engaged 
again  in  our  supplications  for  the  restoration  of  peace  and  love 
to  that  afflicted  church.  In  a  short  time  one  of  the  contending 
parties  came  forward,  and  with  many  teurs  confessed  that  he  had 
been  awfully  guilty,  and  begged  the  forgiveness  of  God,  of  the 
other  party,  and  of  the  church,  for  his  unchristian  conduct.  As 
soon  as  he  sat  down,  the  other  party  came  and  insisted  that  he  was 
the  guilty  originator  of  the  trouble,  and  that  if  his  brother  had 
done  wrong,  it  was  in  consequence  of  provocations  which  he  had 
given,  and  he  wished  the  forgiveness  of  his  brother,  and  of  the 
church,  and  of  God.  The  two  principals  having  thus  been  brought 
to  repentance,  those  who  had  become  their  partisans  followed  their 

13* 


298  EEMAKKABLE   CONVEESIONS 

example,  and  for  a  long  time  we  sat  there  hearing  brethren  who  had 
been  engaged  in  an  unholy  strife,  confessing  their  sins  one  to  another, 
and  praying  one  for  another. 

That  prayer-meeting  was  not  only  the  end  of  contention  between 
those  two  families,  but  the  commencement  of  a  revival  of  religion  in 
that  place,  during  which  many  souls  were,  in  the  judgment  of 
charity,  converted  to  Christ. 

"  Compel  them  to  Come  in." — There  lived  in  my  congrega- 
tion a  lawyer  of  eminence  in  his  profession,  and  of  strictly  moral 
habits  ;  but  who  was  wholly  devoted  to  his  business,  and  heedless 
about  the  things  which  belonged  to  his  eternal  well-being.  In  a 
time  of  refreshing  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  while  a  number  of 
us  were  engaged  in  a  prayer-meeting,  I  observed  that  one  of  my 
elders  rose  up  suddenly  and  left  the  house.  His  mind,  as  he  after- 
wards told  me,  became  deeply  impressed  with  the  guilt  and  danger 
of  the  lawyer  of  whom  I  have  been  speaking,  and  he  resolved  to 
make  one  effort  for  his  salvation.  In  accordance  with  this  resolu- 
tion, he  went  directly  to  the  office,  where  he  found  the  man  whom 
he  sought,  at  the  writing-table,  deeply  engaged  in  preparing  for 
court.  The  elder,  after  the  common  salutations,  said,  "  Mr.  I., 
I  want  you  to  go  with  me  to  Mr.  H.'s."  "  What  for  ?"  inquired 
the  man  of  the  bar.  "  We  have  a  prayer-meeting  there,"  said  the 
elder,  "  and  I  want  you  to  attend  it."  "  Oh,"  said  the  lawyer,  "  I 
cannot  possibly  do  that,  my  business  is  crowding  me,  and  I  must 
attend  to  it."  "  Your  business,"  said  the  elder,  "is  of  no  import 
ance  in  comparison  with  the  salvation  of  your  immortal  soul,  which 
you  are  exposing  to  the  miseries  of  hell,  by  every  moment's  delay." 
This  plain  address,  with  the  solemn  and  earnest  manner  m  which  it 
was  delivered,  overcame  the  lawyer's  resolution  to  continue  at  his 
business,  and  in  a  few  moments  they  both  entered  the  prayer- 
meeting.  We  were  engaged  in  prayer  when  they  came  in,  and  as 
soon  as  there  was  an  opportunity,  the  elder  said  to  me,  "  Mr.  I.  has 
come  to  this  meeting,  and  I  request  an  interest  in  the  prayers  of  this 
assembly  for  the  salvation  of  his  soul."  As  it  was  very  evident 
from  the  appearance  of  Mr.  I.,  that  he  had  no  objection  to  the  pro- 
posal of  his  friend,  we  knelt  down  and  united  all  our  hearts  in  one 


AND   KEVIVAL    INCIDENTS.  299 

voice,  to  plead  for  the  soul  of  a  man  who  hitherto  had  no  disposition 
to  pray  for  himself.  The  Lord  heard  our  prayers,  and  before  the 
close  of  the  meeting,  the  lawyer  indulged  a  hope  in  the  grace  of  God, 
through  his  long-neglected  Saviour. 

At  the  next  communion,  he,  with  more  than  seventy  others,  united 
with  the  church.  He  was  subsequently  chosen,  and  ordained,  to  fill 
the  ofi&ce  of  a  deacon  ;  in  which  capacity  he  served  the  church  till 
the  day  of  his  death,  which  occurred  about  twenty  years  subsequent 
to  the  time  of  his  attending  this  prayer-m'eeting. 

The  Infidel  without  a  Resting  Place. — Walkmg  one 
day  in  the  village  where  I  was  laboring,  I  met  a  man  who  I  knew 
openly  avowed  himself  an  infidel.  After  the  usual  salutations,  I 
said  to  him,  "  Well,  Mr.  B.,  what  is  the  condition  of  your  soul  this 
morning  ?" 

His  answer  was,  "  Oh,  I  am  an  infidel." 

"  I  know  that,  Mr.  B.,  but  as  a  man  of  reflection,  who  under- 
stands what  infidelity  is,  you  will  not  pretend  to  me  that  you  know 
the  Bible  is  not  the  word  of  God."  After  a  few  moments'  reflec- 
tion, he  rephed,  "  I  acknowledge  that  I  do  not  know  that  it  is  not, 
but  I  do  not  believe  it  is."  "  Well,  Mr.  B,,  if  the  Bible  should  not 
be  the  word  of  God,  can  you  be  sure  that  there  will  not  be  just 
such  a  state  of  retribution  beyond  the  grave  as  the  Bible  de- 
scribes ?" 

"  No,  I  am  sure  of  nothing  beyond  the  grave,  but  I  do  not 
believe  there  will  be  any  retribution." 

"  Then,  Mr.  B.,  your  reason  compels  you  to  admit,  that  you  can- 
not know  but,  living  and  dying  as  you  are,  you  will  go  to  hell,  and 
be  as  miserable  there,  to  all  eternity,  as  the  Saviour  represented 
the  rich  man  to  be." 

''It  is  true,  I  can  be  certain  of  nothing  beyond  the  grave, 
whether  I  shall  exist  at  all  there,  or  if  I  do,  what  will  be  my  condi- 
tion is  a  mere  matter  of  conjecture." 

"  Keep  this  in  mind,  Mr.  B.,  when  you  lie  down  and  when  you 
rise  up,  that  you  do  not  know  but  you  shall  go  to  hell  when  you 
die,  and  if  you  can  rest  with  the  possibility  of  such  an  end,  your 
mind  is  differently  constituted  from  mine." 


300 


REMAliXABLE   CON  VEKSIOISrS 


We  parted,  and  he  went  about  his  business,  but,  as  I  afterwards 
learned,  never  enjoyed  any  peace  until  he  indulged  a  hope  in  Christ. 
In  a  few  weeks  he  united  with  the  Baptist  church. 

Dared  not  go  Home  before   he  Repented.— At  a 

time  of  unsual  interest  in  my  congregation,  an  intelligent  and  well- 
educated  boy  of  twelve  years  came  to  one  of  my  elders,  in  great 
distress  of  mind,  and  inquired  what  he  should  do.  The  elder 
inquired  what  made  hun  feel  so  distressed.  The  lad  replied  that 
he  saw  he  was  a  great  sinner  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  was  afraid 
that  he  should  go  to  hell.  He  was  then  told  that  he  must  go  home 
and  read  the  Bible,  and  pray  to  God  to  give  him  a  new  heart. 

The  boy  replied,  with  deep  emotion,  "  Sir,  I  am  afraid  if  I  wait 
to  get  home,  I  may  die  by  the  way,  and  then  it  will  be  too  late.^^ 

The  elder  felt  reproved  by  this  simple  illustration  of  his  bad 
counsel,  and  told  the  young  inquirer  that,  if  he  was  afraid  to  go 
home  in  his  sins,  he  must  then  repent  and  believe  in  Christ,  and 
submit  himself  into  his  hands.  The  boy  complied  with  this  last 
advice,  and  went  home  rejoicing  in  hope.  At  a  suitable  time,  he 
made  a  public  profession  of  religion,  and  has  now  been  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  for  thirty  years,  and  is  proving  the  gen- 
umeness  of  his  conversion  by  a  well-ordered  life  and  conversation. 

Christ  our  Advocate. — A  young  lady  from  a  neighboring 
town  called  on  me,  one  afternoon,  to  inquire  what  she  must  do  to 
be  saved.  I  pointed  out  the  way  of  salvation  to  her  as  well  as  I 
knew  how,  but  she  could  JBnd  no  relief  to  her  troubled  spirit. 

In  spite  of  all  I  could  say  to  her,  she  would  still  cleave  to  the 
notion  that  she  must  make  some  progress  in  reform  before  she 
came  to  Christ. 

I  preached  a  lecture  that  evening  to  my  people  from  1  John  ii.  1 
— "  We  have  an  advocate  with  the  Father." 

In  the  course  of  my  sermon,  I  endeavored  to  show  my  impenitent 
hearers  what  they  must  do  if  they  would  have  Christ  for  their 
advocate,  by  referring  to  the  practice  in  courts  of  justice,  where  a 
man,  who  employed  a  lawyer  to  prosecute  or  defend  his  cause,  must 
give  the  entire  management  of  the  matter  into  his  hand.     I  told 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  301 

them  this  was  true  of  the  great  advocate  with  the  Father.  While  he 
offered  himself  freely  to  all,  he  would  engage  for  none  who  would 
not  leave  their  souPs  salvation  entirely  in  his  hands.  If  they  would 
meddle  with  it  at  all,  he  would  leave  it  with  them,  but  if  they  would 
trust  it  with  him,  he  would  appear  for  them  before  the  great  white 
throne  and  be  their  advocate  and  intercessor. 

After  sermon,  as  I  came  down  from  the  desk,  the  young  lady 
met  me,  with  joy  beaming  from  her  countenance,  and,  clasping  my 
hand  in  hers,  she  exclaimed,  ''  Oh,  I  am  happy!  I  am  happy  I  I 
have  found  an  advocate  with  whom  I  can  trust  my  cause!" 

A  Great  and  Speedy  Result.— In  the  year  1830,  says 
the  Rev.  William  Wisner,  D.D.,  as  one  of  our  pious  young  men  was 
reading  a  chapter  in  the  Bible,  to  a  number  of  children  who  were 
assembled  on  Sabbath  afternoon  for  religious  instruction,  they 
became  so  impressed  with  the  simple  reading  of  the  word  of  God, 
that  many  of  them  were  weeping  before  the  chapter  was  ended,  and 
they  all  seemed  deeply  convinced  of  their  lost  and  perishing  condi- 
tion. This  was  the  visible  commencement  of  a  work  of  grace  which 
spread  through  our  whole  congregation.  We  were  soon  obliged  to 
have  meetings  for  prayer  and  conversation  every  night,  when  there 
was  not  regular  preaching  ;  and,  often  at  the  close  of  our  religious 
meetings,  which  were  never  held  later  than  nine  o'clock,  a  few  of 
our  young  men  would  assemble  at  one  of  their  offices,  or  counting- 
houses,  and  remain  in  prayer  most  of  the  night.  For  some 
time,  the  whole  moral  power  of  the  sacramental  host  seemed  to  be 
brought  into  requisition,  and  to  bear  with  its  whole  weight  upon 
the  ranks  of  the  impenitent.  Religion  was  the  universal  theme  of 
conversation  among  ttie  righteous  and  the  wicked,  and  whenever 
two  or  three  Christians  would  meet  together  casually,  or  on  busi- 
ness, they  would  not  part  until  they  had  a  season  of  prayer.  There 
was  no  visible  opposition  to  the  work,  all  seemed  convinced  that  it 
was  of  God,  and  to  feel  that  it  would  be  a  fearful  thing  to  be  found 
fighting  against  him.  Two  or  three  left  the  place  to  get  rid  of  the 
importunity  of  their  Christian  friends,  and  to  be  away  from  the 
atmosphere  of  religion. 

On  the  first  communion  after  the  commencement  of  this  precious 


303  EEMAKKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

work,  one  hundred  and  forty-four  persons  stood  up  in  the  sanctuary 
and  avouched  Jehovah,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  as  the  God, 
Redeemer,  and  Sanctifier,  of  their  undying  souls.  The  season  was 
one  of  overwhelming  interest — it  was  a  season  of  communion  with 
Christ,  and  with  a  great  company  of  redeemed  souls,  who  had  been 
recently  brought  into  his  kingdom.  The  young  converts  were 
rejoicing  in  the  freshness  of  their  first  love,  while  older  saints  were 
sympathizing  with  the  angels  around  the  throne  of  God,  over  those 
who  had  recently  been  brought  to  repentance. 

After  the  administration  of  the  symbols  of  the  broken  body  and 
shed  blood  of  Christ,  the  communicants,  with  one  accord,  besought 
me  to  repeat  the  ordinance  the  next  Sabbath,  which  I  consented  to 
do  upon  the  condition  that  they  would  devote  the  whole  week  to 
prayer  and  labor  for  the  salvation  of  those  who  yet  remained 
impenitent.  In  the  course  of  that  week  there  were  about  seventy 
who  indulged  hopes,  and,  on  the  Sabbath  following,  about  fifty 
more  added  to  the  church.  The  ordinance  was  repeated  a  third 
time,  and,  according  to  my  present  recollections,  thirty  more  were 
added  to  the  church. 

At  the  close  of  this  blessed  work,  there  were  more  than  eight 
hundred  communicants,  and  only  eighteen  adults  who  did  not 
indulge  a  hope  in  Christ,  in  a  congregation  where,  fourteen  years 
previous,  there  were  only  twelve  credible  professors  of  religion. 

The  True  Way  to  put  G-odly  Men  in  the  Profes- 
sions.— When  I  first  took  charge  of  the  church  in  *  *  *  *^  all  the 
prominent  men  were  living  without  God  in  the  world.  Among  this 
class  were  our  two  leading  physicians,  who,  by  their  horse-racing  and 
gambling,  and  ungodly  conversation,  were  poisoning  the  morals  of 
the  rising  generation,  and  encouraging  those  of  riper  years  in  the 
way  of  sin. 

I  felt  very  deeply  the  deleterious  influence  which  these  two  men 
were  exerting  ;  and  seeing  no  other  remedy,  I  besought  the  Lord  to 
send  us  a  pious  physician,  that  our  people  might  have  the  privilege, 
when  sick,  of  having  a  man  to  attend  them,  who,  instead  of  having 
his  mind  filled  with  the  race-course  and  the  card-table,  would  be 
under  the  influence  of  the  fear  of  God.     My  heart  was  greatly  set 


AND  REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  303 

on  this  thing,  as  a  blessing  I  thought  indispensable  to  the  inter- 
ests of  religion  in  that  place.  But  while  I  was  praying  for  it,  to  my 
inexpressible  joy  the  Iloly  Spirit  came  down  and  reclaimed  the  two 
wicked  ones,  and  brought  them  into  the  church,  and  made  them 
active  and  successful  in  counteracting  the  evil  which  they  had 
been  doing  in  the  community.  The  ablest  of  the  two,  in  due  time, 
was  chosen  as  one  of  our  ruling  elders,  and  became  a  most  efficient 
helper  in  the  work  of  the  Lord. 

If  the  Hearer  of  my  prayer,  in  answering  my  petitions,  had  sent 
me  my  pious  physician,  we  should  still  have  had  the  influence  of 
these  two  prominent  men  to  contend  against ;  but  in  his  better  way 
we  were  relieved  from  this  evil  influence,  and  had  two  pious  physicians 
instead  of  one,  and  men  who  possessed  the  confidence  of  the  people, 
instead  of  a  stranger,  who  would  have  had  for  a  long  time  but  a  lim- 
ited influence  among  us. 

A  Remarkable  Answer  to  Prayer. — In  1829,  I  was 
invited  by  the  pastor  of  a  church  in  a  village  about  twenty  miles 
from  my  own  parish,  to  come  out  and  assist  him  for  a  few  days  in  a 
special  effort  for  the  salvation  of  his  people.  He  thought  there  were 
indications  for  good  in  his  congregation,  and  had  made  up  his  mind 
to  have  preaching  every  evening,  together  with  prayer-meetings  and 
family  visiting  through  the  day. 

I  took  one  of  my  elders  with  me,  and  went  to  the  house  of  my  bro- 
ther, agreeably  to  his  request.  He  had  made  an  appointment  for  me 
to  preach  that  evening.  The  congregation  was  large  and  solemn,  and 
there  were  some  indications  of  the  special  presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
That  evening  my  elder  led  our  devotions  in  family  prayer,  and 
poured  out  his  soul  in  great  fervency  for  the  conversion  of  sinners. 
He  earnestly  besought  the  Lord  that  he  would  so  trouble  the  impeni- 
tent that  they  would  feel  constrained  to  awaken  us  in  the  night  to 
inquire  what  they  should  do  to  be  saved.  After  prayer  we  retired 
to  rest,  but  about  midnight  the  pastor  came  into  our  room  and 
awoke  us,  to  tell  us  that  a  number  of  sinners  had  collected  at  the 
academy,  who  were  so  distressed  with  a  sense  of  their  lost  condition, 
that  they  had  sent  a  request  for  ^s  to  visit  them.  On  repairing  to 
the  place,  the  pastor  and  my  elder,  for  I  was  not  well  enough  to  go 


304  liEMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

out  at  that  hour,  found  the  principal  of  the  academy,  with  a  large 
number  of  the  scholars,  and  some  other  persons,  assembled  to  inquire 
what  they  must  do  to  be  saved.  The  next  morning  there  were  a 
number  rejoicing  in  hope,  and  many  more  deeply  bowed  down  under 
a  sense  of  their  sins.  We  remained  there  a  few  days,  and  had  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  many  proud  hearts  apparently  humbled  at  the  foot 
of  the  cross. 

It  was  the  Lord  who  taught  my  brother  thus  to  pray,  and  it  was 
the  Lord  who  answered  that  prayer.  If  Christians  lived  in  habits  of 
communion  with  God,  would  not  his  Spirit  more  frequently  teach  us 
what  to  pray  for,  and  more  frequently  give  us  the  very  blessings 
which  we  ask  ? 

The  Promise  Fulfilled. — In  John  vii.  38,  we  have  the  fol- 
lowing precious  promise  :  "  He  that  believeth  on  me,  as  the  Scrip- 
ture hath  said,  out  of  his  belly  shall  flow  rivers  of  living  water." 

In  this  passage  water  is  the  emblem  of  the  salvation  of  Christ,  and 
the  promise,  when  divested  of  its  figurative  dress,  is,  that  when  we 
exercise  a  living  faith  in  Christ,  salvation  will  flow  from  us  in  broad 
streams  like  rivers. 

I  have  often  dwelt  with  pleasure  upon  this  sweet  promise,  and 
have  seen  it  fulfilled,  in  the  providence  and  grace  of  God,  but  have 
never  witnessed  a  more  delightful  exemplification  of  its  truthfulness 
than  in  the  case  of  an  old  man,  who  lived  and  died  in  my  congrega- 
tion. He  had  a  very  numerous  family  when  he  came  to  Christ,  and 
received  the  waters  of  life  ;  or,  according  to  the  figurative  language 
of  the  preceding  verse,  came  to  Christ  to  drink.  Very  soon,  in  an- 
swer to  his  prayers,  and  through  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  upon  his 
judicious  labors,  his  wife  and  five  sons,  and  five  daughters,  were 
brought  to  indulge  a  hope  in  the  Redeemer.  The  oldest  son  had 
three  boys,  who  lived  to  be  men,  and  were  all  Christians  ;  one  of 
them  is  now  a  devoted  minister  of  the  gospel,  who  is  turning  many 
to  righteousness.  The  second  son  died  soon  after  his  conversion, 
and  as  he  lived  at  a  distance  from  me  I  am  unable  to  trace  his  his- 
tory. The  third  son,  though  a  feeble  young  man,  was  an  active 
Christian,  and  though  he  was  laid  in  an  early  grave,  I  know  of  many 
individuals  who  owned  him  as  their  spiritual  father.     The  fourth  sou 


AND   REVIVAL   INCmENTS.  305 

had  two  children,  who  were  both  members  of  the  church.  Thoujrh  I 
am  unable  to  trace  the  particular  history  of  the  other  children,  from 
what  I  know  of  the  family,  it  would  be  safe  to  say  that  each  of  the 
ten  streams,  issuing  from  the  pious  efforts  of  this  old  man,  doubled 
in  the  next  generation,  while  some  of  them,  in  the  life-time  of  their 
parents,  became  a  broad  river.  Now,  if  we  were  capable  of  follow- 
ing these  streams,  as  they  flow  on  from  generation  to  generation,  we 
should  find  them  widening  and  deepening,  until  they  should  not  only 
become  broad  rivers  but  inland  seas,  losing  themselves  in  the  ocean 
of  redeemed  souls,  who  will  fill  the  area  of  glory  at  the  right  hand 
of  the  Saviour  at  the  judgment  of  the  great  day. 

I  have  only  in  this  estimate  noticed  the  success  of  this  old  man  in 
his  own  family,  but  it  did  not  stop  here.  He  lived  to  a  good  old  age, 
and  while  he  lived  was  a  burning  and  shining  light  to  all  around  him, 
and  was,  through  every  year  of  his  Christian  life,  a  means  of  turn- 
ing some  souls  to  Christ.  Reader,  the  man  whose  history  I  have  so 
far  traced,  was  a  plain  man,  of  no  more  than  ordinary  talents  and 
common  education.  There  is  no  reason  why  you  should  not  emulate 
his  example,  and  hope  for  his  success. 

Sinners  live  to  no  Good  Purpose. — An  intelligent  and 
interesting  physician  of  strictly  moral  habits,  called  upon  me  one 
morning  in  my  study,  and  told  me  he  had  come  to  have  a  little  con- 
versation on  the  subject  of  religion.  I  told  him  I  was  always  pleased 
to  see  him,  but  was  pecuharly  so  when  I  knew  that  he  wished  to 
converse  upon  the  things  which  belonged  to  his  peace.  On  making 
some  inquiry  respecting  his  feelings,  I  learned  that  he  had  been  sick  ; 
had  considered  himself,  and  was  considered  by  his  attendant  physi- 
cian, for  some  days,  to  be  in  a  critical  state,  but,  by  the  blessing  of 
God  upon  the  means  used,  he  was  soon  able  to  be  about  again. 
During  his  sickness  he  had  no  particular  anxiety  about  himself ;  but 
when  he  was  able  to  return  to  his  office,  while  entirely  alone,  the 
inquiry  came  up  to  his  mind,  "  What  good  purpose  will  be  answered 
by  your  restoration  to  health  ?"  This  question,  which  seemed  to 
come  without  inviting,  brought  his  whole  past  hfe  up  before  him, 
which,  though  it  had  been  orderly,  and  what  the  world  calls  moral, 
he  saw  had  been  a  life  without  God,  and  that  his  fellow-men  had 


306.  KEMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

been  none  the  better  for  his  having  lived  among  them.  He  felt  that 
there  was  no  portion  of  his  past  life  which  would  afford  him  pleas- 
ure in  the  hour  of  death,  and  that  if  what  remained  of  it  was  to  be 
spent  as  the  past  had  been,  he  might  as  well  have  died  with  his  last 
sickness  as  to  have  been  restored  to  health  again.  This  train  of 
thought,  which  was  evidently  caused  by  the  operation  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  convicted  him  of  sin.  He  sav/  clearly  that  if  his  life  had 
been  a  useless  one,  it  had  been  a  sinful  one  ;  that,  in  the  language 
of  our  excellent  catechism,  "  The  chief  end  of  man  is  to  glorify  God 
and  enjoy  him  forever,"  and  as  he  had  not  made  that  the  chief  end 
of  his  life,  he  had  not  fulfilled  the  end  of  his  being,  and  was  an  un- 
faithful cumberer  of  the  ground  in  his  Master's  vineyard.  His  heart 
now  became  burdened  with  a  sense  of  his  guilt,  and  in  the  loneliness 
of  his  study  he  resolved  to  take  the  yoke  of  his  Kedeemer  upon  his 
Deck,  and  learn  of  him  who  was  meek  and  lowly  in  mind.  He  then 
knelt  before  God,  and  consecrated  himself  with  all  that  he  had  to  the 
service  of  that  Saviour  who  came  into  the  vforld  to  redeem  sinners. 

I  questioned  him  with  regard  to  his  view  of  the  sinfulness  of  his 
heart,  the  character  of  Christ,  the  ground  of  his  hope,  and  the  feel- 
ings which  he  had  mdulged  since  the  change  of  his  purpose,  until  I 
became  satisfied  that  there  was  ground  to  hope  that  ''  old  things 
had  passed  away,  and  all  things  had  become  new." 

After  some  weeks  he  united  himself  to  the  church,  and  his  subse- 
quent life  has  fully  justified  the  hope  which  I  indulged  for  him 
at  the  interview  to  which  I  have  alluded. 

A  Prompt  Decision. — At  a  meeting  of  inquiry  which  I  held 
at  a  time  of  general  interest  in  my  congregation,  a  young  lady  who 
had  been  anxious  about  her  soul  for  many  months,  with  whom  I  had 
been  conversing,  rose  up  suddenly  and  left  the  room.  I  could  not 
account  for  this  singular  movement  until  I  saw  her  return  with  a 
young  friend,  who  had  not  attended  my  meeting  before,  during  the 
progress  of  the  revival.  I  sat  down  by  the  new  comer  and  inquired 
into  the  state  of  her  mind  on  the  subject  of  religioj:^;  She  told  me 
that  she  had  no  special  concern  about  herself,  that  she  had  been 
induced  to  come  to  the  meeting  by  the  solicitation  of  a  young  friend, 
and  not  by  the  promptings  of  her  own  heart. 


AND   EEVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  307 

"  Are  you  not  sensible  that  you  are  a  great  sinner  in  the  sight  of 
God  r 

''  I  am  intellectually  convinced  of  this  fact,  but  do  not  feel  it." 
"  Do  you  not  know  that  as  a  sinner  you  are  in  a  state  of  con- 
demnation and  death  ?" 

"  I  know  I  shall  be  condemned  if  I  do  not  repent  before  I  die." 
"  The  Bible  tells  us  that  they  who  believe  not  are  condemned 
already.  The  sentence  of  condemnation  is  passed  upon  you,  and 
you  are  only  waiting,  hke  a  condemned  criminal,  for  the  order  of 
execution.  How  long  God  may  suffer  you  to  live  in  this  condemned 
state,  before  the  sentence  shall  be  executed,  is  quite  uncertain,  but 
while  He  does  spare  you,  it  is  to  give  you  an  opportunity  to  obtain 
a  pardon." 

*'  This  is  a  new  view  of  the  subject,  but  it  seems  from  the  Scrip- 
tures it  must  be  correct." 

"  Do  you  not  remember  that  God  has  said  in  His  word,  '  Because 
sentence  against  an  evil  work  is  not  executed  speedily,  therefore  the 
hearts  of  the  sons  of  men  are  fully  set  in  them  to  do  evil." 

"  I  do,  and  I  remember  that  you  once  preached  from  that  text." 
"  Is  not  this  your  condition  ?     Does  not  your  heart  take  encour- 
agement from  God's  delay  of  the  execution  of  His  sentence  to  con 
tinue  in  impenitence." 

''  I  am  afraid  it  is  even  so,  my  sins  are  very  great." 
"  Is  not  your  conduct  in  this  thing  desperately  wicked  ?     You 
are  abusing  the  grace  of  God,  by  employing  the  time  which  He  has 
given  you  to  repent  and  obtain  pardon,  in  sinning  agaiust  Him." 
*'  I  feel  that  I  am  without  excuse." 

''  God  is  yet  waiting  to  be  gracious,  and  it  is  my  duty,  as  a  minis- 
ter of  Christ,  to  offer  you  the  pardon  of  your  sins,  and  all  the  bless- 
ings which  the  Saviour  has  purchased  for  His  people,  if  you  will 
give  your  heart  to  Him.  Will  you  accept  of  this  offer,  or  will  you 
reject  it  again  ?" 

''  I  am  not  prepared  to  give  an  answer  at  this  time." 
I  then  told  her  the  offer  was  made  to  her  by  her  Saviour,  that  I 
was  only  acting  in  His  name,  and  in  the  nature  of  the  case  she  must 
either  reject  or  accept ;  and  I  desired  an  answer,  that  she  might 
know  what  she  was  doing. 


308  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

She  replied,  "  I  am  not  prepared  to  accept,  and  I  dare  not 
refuse." 

"  Do  you  not  see  that  you  must  either  accept  Christ  now  or  reject 
Him  again  ?" 

"  I  do  see  it,  and  feel  it,  too,  and  am  truly  sorry  that  I  came  to 
this  meeting." 

"  Your  staying  away  from  the  place  of  religious  inquiry  would 
not  have  relieved  you  from  your  responsibility,  though  it  might  have 
prevented  you  from  seeing  your  guilt  as  you  now,  see  it.  Every 
time  through  your  life,  when  Christ  has  been  presented  to  your  mind, 
by  preaching,  reading,  religious  conversation,  or  meditation,  you 
have  rejected  Him,  and  the  guilt  of  all  those  accumulated  acts  is 
recorded  on  high,  and  I  want  to  have  you  now  determine  whether 
you  will  reject  your  Saviour  again,  or  here  terminate  your  rebellion 
by  submitting  yourself  to  Him."  She  sat  for  nearly  half  an  hour  in 
deep  thought,  the  agony  of  her  mind  evidently  increasing  all  the 
time,  when  she  said,  "  I  will  rebel  no  longer;  pray  for  me  that  I  may 
have  grace  to  give  myself  up  to  my  Saviour." 

We  knelt  down  together,  and  I  offered  a  short  prayer  for  her, 
but  she  remained  on  her  knees,  silently  pleading  for  pardon,  some 
minutes  after  I  had  ceased,  and  when  she  arose  she  came  to  me 
smiling  through  tears,  and  giving  me  her  hand,  said,  "  I  hope  I  have 
given  myself  away  to  Christ,  but  I  am  afraid  I  may  be  deceived." 
At  that  moment  she  fixed  her  eyes  on  a  young  companion,  who  sat 
weeping  in  another  part  of  the  room,  and  running  to  her  she  caught 
her  in  her  arms,  and  exclaimed,  ''  Oh,  Louisa  I  Louisa  !  I  don't 
know  but  I  am  deceived  about  myself,  but  I  know  that  Christ  is 
willing  to  receive  just  such  poor  sinners  as  you  and  I  are,  and  I  do 
entreat  you  to  go  to  him  now  while  he  is  waiting  to  be  gra- 
cious." 

In  a  short  time  Louisa  began  to  rejoice  with  her  young  friend  ; 
but  the  latter,  while  she  spoke  feelingly  of  the  preciousness  of  Christ, 
would  add  to  almost  every  sentence,  "  But  I  am  afraid  I  may  be 
deceived." 

After  she  became  a  little  composed  in  her  feelings,  I  said  to  her, 

"  Well,  M ,  if  you  should  find  on  examining  your  heart,  that 

you  ar^  deceived,  what  will  you  do  ?" 


AND   KEYIVAL   INCIDENTS.  309 

"  Oh,"  said  she,  ''  I  will  repent  and  give  myself  up  to  Him  and 
put  my  trust  in  Him." 

She  soon  became  clear  in  her  hope,  and  some  time  after  made  a 
profession  of  religion,  and  is  now  a  reputable  member  of  the  church 
of  Christ. 

It  is  but  a  Moment's  Work.— In  a  season  of  revival,  in 
1830,  I  found  in  my  meeting  of  inquiry  an  old  man  upwards  of  sev- 
enty, who  had  for  more  than  forty  years  been  trying  to  find  rest  for 
his  soul  in  the  works  of  his  own  hands.  Going  about  to  establisTi 
his  own  righteousness,  he  had  not  submitted  to  the  righteousness  of 
God.  I  had  been  his  pastor  for  fourteen  years,  and  had  during  that 
time  labored  much  with  him  in  public  and  private.  He  was  a  con- 
stant attendant  upon  all  our  religious  meetings,  and  was  as  exem- 
plary in  his  outward  walk  as  most  Christians.  He  knew  he  could 
not  be  saved  by  his  own  works,  but  still  hoped  that  his  outward 
morality  and  inward  anxiety  would  induce  God  to  give  him  a  new 
heart.  After  conversing  with  a  number  of  other  persons  about  their 
salvation,  I  came  to  this  old  man,  and  on  saying  a  few  words  to 
him,  I  found  him  as  usual,  waiting  for  a  new  heart.  I  told  him  that 
I  had  labored  more  with  him  than  with  any  other  member  of  my 
congregation,  and  that  it  had  done  him  no  good  ;  that  he  had  lived 
through  a  number  of  revivals  of  religion,  without  deriving  any  benefit 
from  them,  and  that  I  had  made  up  my  mind  that  he  must  then  give 
himself  up  to  Christ  to  be  saved  by  him,  or  I  must  give  him  up  as 
an  old  sinner,  who  would  not  have  Christ  to  reign  oj^er  him.  He 
seemed  shocked  at  the  thought  of  having  his  pastor  give  him  up, 
and  with  deep  anguish  of  mind  entreated  me  not  to  abandon  him  as 
an  incorrigible  sinner.  I  told  him  that  he  was  an  old  man,  who  from 
a  child  had  known' his  Master's  will,  but  refused  to  do  it ;  that  his 
heart  was  constantly  gi-owing  harder,  and  his  iniquities  were  multi- 
plying ;  that  he  was  then  in  the  midst  of  a  powerful  work  of  grace  ; 
that  his  Christian  friends  were  praying  for  him,  and  his  pastor,  as 
the  ambassador  of  Christ,  was  entreating  him  to  be  reconciled  to 
God,  and  it  seemed  to  me,  if  he  suffered  the  present  season  to  pass 
without  availing  himself  of  offered  mercy,  there  would  be  no  hope 
in  his  case.     He  entreated  me  to  pray  for  him  ;  but  I  told  him  that 


310  KEMAEKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

imless  he  would  repent  of  bis  sins,  and  give  himself  up  to  Christ, 
prayer  could  do  him  no  good,  and  before  I  could  pray  for  him,  I 
must  have  him  answer  the  question  which  I  had  so  often  put  to  him, 
viz.  ;  "Will  you  now  submit  yourself,  unconditionally,  into  the 
hands  of  the  Saviour?"  After  a  short,  though  terrible,  conflict 
with  his  self-righteous  heart,  he  answered,  with  many  tears,  "By 
the  help  of  God,  I  will."  I  knelt  by  his  side,  and  united  with  him 
in  prayer.     When  he  arose  he  was  full  of  joy  and  peace. 

That  evening,  at  a  prayer-meeting  in  the  neighborhood,  he  got  up 
and  earnestly  exhorted  sinners  to  repent  and  submit  themselves  to 
Christ.  "  Don't  put  it  off  as  I  have  done,  but  do  it  now,  it  is  only  a 
moment's  workP 

He  lived  about  ten  }^ars  after  this,  an  exemplary  and  active 
Christian,  and  when  I  visited  him  on  his  death-bed,  I  found  him 
trusting  in  the  sinner's  Friend. 

Forsaking  All  that  she  Had.— In  the  spring  of  1844,  a 
lady  came  to  my  meeting  of  inquiry  in  great  agony  of  mind.  On 
inquiring  what  it  was  that  disturbed  her  so  much,  she  answered  that 
she  was  a  lost  sinnor. 

I  told  her  that  was  indeed  true,  but  Jesus  Christ  came  into  the 
world  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost,  and  if  she  was  sensi- 
ble of  her  perilous  condition  she  should  go  to  him. 

She  answered,  with  deep  emotion,  while  the  tears  were  streaming 
down  her  cheeks,  that  there  was  an  insurmountable  obstacle  in  the 
way  of  her  coming  to  Christ. 

I  inquired  what  that  obstacle  was  which  could  keep  her  away 
from  her  precious  Saviour. 

She  replied,  "  If  I  come  to  him,  I  must  give  up  everything  into 
his  hands,  and  be  willing  to  have  him  dispose  of  me  and  mine  as  he 
will ;  but  my  husband  is  an  impenitent  mon,  and  is  very  dear  to 
me,  and  I  am  not  willing  to  give  him  up.  He  is  the  idol  of  my 
heart." 

"  My  dear  Mrs.  D.,  can  you  take  your  husband  out  of  his  Maker's 
hand,  or  in  any  way  benefit  him  by  staying  away  from  Christ,  and 
thus  destroying  your  own  soul  ?  Would  it  not  be  better  for  you  to 
give  yourself  up  to  him,  and  in  this  way  put  yourself  in  a  position  to 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  311 

pray  for  your  husbaud,  and  by  your  pious  example  lead  him  to  the 
Saviour  ?" 

''Yes,  this  would  be  my  best  course  ;  but  how  can  I  do  this, 
w^hile  my  heart  cleaves  to  the  partner  of  my  bosom,  and  I  cannot 
give  him  up  ?'' 

''  But  you  have  just  admitted  that  he  was  in  the  hands  of  the 
Lord,  and  that  your  rebellion  against  your  Maker  could  do  him 
no  good  :  why  then  should  you  encourage  him  in  sin  by  your 
example  ?" 

"  I  know  it  is  all  wrong,  but  my  husband  lies  so  near  my  heart 
that  I  cannot  give  him  up.     I  feel  that  he  is  my  idol." 

"  Well,  madam,  you  see  that  one  of  three  things  must  then  take 
place — either  you  must  give  up  your  husband,  or  God  must  take 
him  away,  or  your  own  soul  must  perish." 

"  I  know  it  is  so  I  I  see  it  !  I  feel  it  in  my  heart,  and  that  is  what 
distresses  me." 

"  Well,  madam,  if  one  of  these  things  must  take  place,  you  should 
make  up  your  mind  accordingly,  and,  as  a  wise  woman,  choose  now 
which  of  the  three  you  will  prefer.  If  your  husband  stands  in  the 
way  of  your  salvation,  will  you  give  him,  with  your  own  soul,  up 
to  Christ  ?  Or  must  he  be  removed  out  of  your  way  ?  Or  will  you 
perish  ?" 

She  remained  silent  for  some  time,  her  bosom  convulsed  with  sobs 
of  anguish,  and  then,  with  a  countenance  full  of  joy,  exclaimed, 
"  Oh,  I  can  give  up  my  husband,  and  my  own  soul,  too,  into  the 
hands  of  my  blessed  Redeemer.     I  will  submit,  I  will  be  his  !" 

I  prayed  with  her,  and  advised  her  to  go  home  and  examine  her- 
self, to  see  that  her  surrender  was  an  honest  and  a  whole-hearted 
one,  and  that  her  trust  was  alone  in  the  mercy  of  God,  through  the 
blood  of  the  Cross. 

In  a  short  time  after  this  interview  with  the  wife,  the  husband 
indulged  a  hope  in  Christ,  and  at  the  next  communion  they  were 
both,  with,  as  near  as  I  can  now  recollect,  forty  others,  received 
into  the  church. 

Six  years  have  since  passed  away,  and  she  who  feared  to  give  up 
her  husband  is,  with  him,  walking  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  in  the 
comfort  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 


312  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

The  Woman  -who  had  no  Feeling. — At  a  time  when 
the  Lord  was  pouring  out  his  Spirit  upou  my  congregation,  I 
observed  one  morning,  iu  my  meeting  of  inquiry,  a  young  lady,  who 
was  not  iu  the  habit  of  attending  my  church.  I  sat  down  by  her, 
and  told  her  I  was  hai3py  to  meet  her  in  that  place,  and  hoped  she 
bad  come  to  inquire  the  way  to  her  Saviour. 

She  replied,  "  I  have  no  particular  anxiety  about  myself.  I  came 
here  this  morning  to  gratify  a  friend,  who  was  very  anxious  that  I 
should  accompany  her  to  your  meeting." 

"  But  how  is  it,  my  dear  girl,  that  you  have  no  anxiety  about 
yourself?  do  you  not  know  that  you  are  a  lost  sinner  ?" 

"  0  yes,  I  know  I  am  a  sinner,  and  I  know  too,  that  if  I  do  not 
become  a  Christian  I  must  perish  ;  but  some  how,  I  cannot  feel  any 
particular  anxiety  about  my  situation." 

"  Do  you  not  know  that  Jesus  Christ  is  just  such  a  Saviour  as 
you  stand  in  need  of ;  and  that  he  has  been  waiting  long,  and  is 
waiting  this  morning,  to  save  your  guilty  soul  from  condemnation  and 
eternal  ruin  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  know  it,  but  what  can  I  do  without  feeling  ?" 

"  You  C9,n  act  like  a  rational  and  accountable  being,  with  whom 
God  has  a  controversy,  and  to  whom  He  is  making  overtures  of 
mercy.  You  can  contemplate  your  lost  condition,  and  look  at  the 
terms  upon  which  Jesus  Christ  will  interpose  in  your  behalf." 

"  But  I  have  always  understood  that  we  must  be  awakened  and 
convicted,  before  we  can  be  converted,  or  become  Christians." 

"  But  are  you  not  accountable  this  morning,  for  the  manner 
in  which  you  treat  your  precious  Saviour  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  I  am." 

Is  He  not  this  morning  waiting  to  be  gracious  to  you  ;  and  does 
He  not  tell  you  that  now  is  the  accepted  time  ?" 

"  Yes;  but  is  it  not  true,  that  I  must  have  more  feeling  than  I  novv 
have,  before  I  can  become  a  Christian  ?" 

"  The  Bible  does  not  tell  us  how  much  we  must  feel  in  order  to  be- 
come Christians,  but  it  does  tell  us,  "  To-day,  if  we  will  hear  Christ's 
voice,  not  to  harden  our  hearts,  by  refusing  his  overtures  of  mercy.' " 

"  My  heart  is  so  hard  already,  that  religion  makes  iDut  little 
impression  upon  my  mind." 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  313 

"  Well,  my  child,  you  admit  that  your  want  of  feeling  does  not 
release  you  from  responsibility  to  your  righteous  Sovereign,  and  it 
cannot  absolve  me  from  the  duty  of  laying  the  Gospel  message 
before  you.  I  must,  therefore,  as  an  ambassador  of  Christ,  beseech 
you  in  his  name,  to  be  reconciled  to  God.  Will  you  give  up  your 
controversy  with  your  Maker,  and  become  reconciled  to  Him  this 
morning  ?" 

Here  she  became  more  serious,  and  inquired  with  evident  emo- 
tion, "  What  shall  I  do  V 

"  You  know  what  you  ought  to  do,  and  I  will  tell  you  what  you 
must  do.  You  must  either  accept  Christ,  as  he  is  offered  to  you  in 
the  gospel,  and  go  home  a  child  of  God  ;  or  reject  him  again,  and 
go  away  in  a  state  of  condemnation,  with  his  wrath  abiding  on  you." 

She  now  appeared  to  feel  the  full  weight  of  her  responsibility, 
and  with  tears  exclaimed,  '^  What  shall  I  do  ?" 

I  told  her  that  her  duty  was  plain,  and  the  question,  whether  she 
would  go  away  a  justified  child,  or  a  condemned  sinner,  must  be 
decided  by  herself,  and  would  be  decided  before  she  left  the  house. 

I  left  her  to  make  up  her  mind,  and  conversed  with  some  other 
anxious  persons  ;  but  before  I  dismissed  the  meeting,  I  returned  to 
ask  her,  what  answer  I  should  give  to  him  who  sent  me,  when,  to 
my  great  joy,  I  found  her  full  of  that  peace  which  the  world  can- 
not give  nor  take  away. 

The  Infidel  Lady. — Returning  from  the  funeral  of  a  child  in 
the  city  of  *  *  *  *,  in  1831,  I  met  at  the  house  of  a  friend,  a 
widow  lady  of  middle  age,  and  of  more  than  ordinary  intelligence. 
After  a  little  general  conversation,  I  alluded  to  the  funeral  I  had 
been  attending,  and  inquired  whether  she  felt  herself  prepared  for 
that  great  change  which  we  must  all  of  us  sooner  or  later  experience. 

After  a  few  moments'  hesitation,  she  replied  to  my  question  by 
saying,  that  she  was  an  infidel,  and  did  not  receive  the  Bible  as  the 
word  of  God. 

After  conversing  with  her  long  enough  to  satisfy  myself  that  she 
had  read  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  was  acquainted  with  the  common 
arguments  which  infidels  have  used  against  them,  I  inquired  whether 
she  believed  in  the  existence  of  an  infinitely  wise  and  good  God. 

14 


314  REMARKABLE  CONVERSIONS 

She  replied  that  she  did,  and  thought  that  the  Bible  gave  a  truth- 
ful account  of  his  perfections. 

I  then  inquired,  "  Do  you  believe  that  we  were  all  created  by  this 
God  ?" 

She  replied,  ''Certainly  I  do  ;  I  believe  we  are  all  the  creatures 
of  His  power."  I  then  said  to  her,  "  Madam,  as  you  appear  to  have 
read  the  Bible,  will  you  tell  me  whether  an  unshaken  belief  in  its 
divine  origin,  and  a  cordial  reception  of  the  religion  which  it  incul- 
cates, would  not  be  calculated  to  make  men  better  and  happier, 
even  in  this  world,  than  such  a  belief  as  you  cheirish  ?" 

She  answered,  "  It  must  be  so  ;  the  Bible  requires  men  to  love 
their  neighbors  as  they  love  themselves,  and  to  do  unto  others  as 
they  would  have  others  do  unto  them  ;  this  would  make  good  mem- 
bers of  society  ;  and  the  belief  that  they  were  going  to  heaven  when 
they  died  would  make  them  happy.'' 

"  You  have  answered  truly.  The  moral  code  of  the  Bible,  if  be- 
lieved and  obeyed,  would  regulate,  in  the  most  perfect  manner,  all 
our  intercourse  with  each  other  ;  while  its  rich  and  precious  pro- 
mises, if  received  and  relied  on,  as  coming  from  God,  would  elevate 
our  affections,  raise  us  above  the  world,  and  make  us  happy  here. 
But  if  the  Bible  is  not  a  revelation  from  God,  as  it  professes  to  be, 
it  is  one  of  the  most  impious  compilations  of  falsehood  that  men  have 
ever  attempted  to  palm  upon  the  world  ;  and  yet,  according  to  your 
own  admission,  a  holy,  wise,  and  good  being  has  formed  an  entire 
race  of  intelligent  creatures,  with  such  minds  that  a  belief  in  this 
impious  and  lying  book,  will  make  them  better  and  happier  than  to 
believe  the  truth." 

She  remained  silent  for  some  time,  and  then,  with  considerable 
feeling,  replied,  "  I  have  never  before  thought  of  this  subject  in  this 
light." 

A  short  time  after  this  conversation  I  preached  an  evening  lec- 
ture in  the  neighborhood  where  this  woman  resided.  After  the  pub- 
lic exercises,  I  gave  notice  that  if  there-  were  any  who  wished  to 
converse  with  me  about  their  own  spiritual  condition,  they  might 
remain  after  the  congregation  had  withdrawn.  To  my  great  joy, 
this  widow  was  one  who  tarried  for  conversation.  She  had  become 
convinced  that  she  must  give  up  her  belief  in  the  being  and  perfec- 


AND  REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  315 

tions  of  God,  or  deny  what  her  own  judgment  and  observation,  as 
well  as  the  history  of  the  world,  told  her  was  the  tendency  of  a  be- 
lief in,  and  a  cordial  reception  of,  the  word  of  God,  or  she  must  re- 
nounce her  infidelity.  The  two  first  she  could  not  do,  and  she  had 
done  the  last ;  and  was  come  to  inquire  what  she  must  do  to  be 
saved.  She  felt  that  her  infidelity  had  resulted  from  a  depraved 
heart,  rather  than  from  an  enlightened  mind,  and  trembled  for  her- 
self as  an  undone  sinner.  I  pointed  out  to  her,  as  plainly  as  I  could, 
the  way  of  salvation.  I  told  her  that  Jesus  Christ  had  come  to  seek 
and  to  save  that  which  was  lost ;  and  if  she  would  submit  to  him 
and  accept  of  his  offered  mercy,  she  would  be  accepted. 

After  a  few  days  she  indulged  a  hope  in  Christ,  and  at  the  next 
communion  united  herself  with  the  people  of  God,  and  for  years  after- 
wards, I  knew  her  as  a  consistent  Christian,  adorning  the  doctrine 
of  God  her  Saviour,  by  a  well-ordered  life  and  conversation. 

A  Word  Spoken  in  Season. — When  on  a  journey  for  my 
health  in  1812,  on  a  hot,  sultry  day,  I  called  at  a  farm-house  in  one 
of  the  beautiful  towns  in  Berkshire  county,  Mass.,  to  procure  a  drink 
of  water.  There  happened  to  be  no  one  in  the  house  but  a  young 
lady,  apparently  about  sixteen  years  of  age,  to  whom  I  was  intro- 
duced by  my  travelling  companion,  and  from  whom  I  received  a 
glass  of  that  refreshing  and  healthy  beverage,  which  flows  in  such 
rich  abundance  from  the  hills  of  New  England. 

As  I  arose  to  depart  I  took  her  hand,  and  said,  "  Permit  me,  my 
dear  girl,  before  I  leave  you,  to  inquire  whether  you  have  yet  given 
your  heart  to  your  precious  Saviour  ?" 

She  replied  in  the  negative,  while  the  tear  that  stole  down  her 
cheek  showed  that  she  was  not  without  feeling. 

I  then  said  to  her,  "  My  child,  I  am  a  minister  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  as  such  it  is  not  only  my  duty,  but  my  privilege,  to  offer  you 
eternal  life,  upon  the  condition  of  your  repenting  of  your  sins,  and 
putting  your  trust  in  him  ;  will  you  accept  of  this  offer  ?" 

She  answered  with  deep  emotion,  "  I  cannot  decide  that  question 
now." 

I  said,  "  You  will  have  to  decide  it  now.  Jesus  Christ  is  beseech- 
ing you  by  me,  to  be  reconciled  to  God,  and  if  you  do  not  choose  to 


816  HS3MARKABLE  CONVEE8ION8 

tell  me  what  your  decision  is,  He  will  take  tlie  answer  from  your 
heart,  and  it  will  be  recorded  in  heaven,  that  you  have  either  ac- 
cepted the  offer  of  eternal  life  made  to  you  by  your  Redeemer  to- 
day, or  that  you  have  rejected  him  again." 

She  seemed  to  take  a  new  view  of  her  fearful  responsibility,  and 
wept  convulsively  ;  but  could  not  be  prevailed  on  to  tell  me  what 
her  decision  was. 

After  repeating  some  appropriate  passages  of  Scripture,  to  show 
her  her  duty  and  her  danger,  I  left  her,  expecting  to  see  and  hear  of 
her  no  more,  until  we  should  meet  at  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ. 

Years  afterwards,  on  stepping  upon  a  steam-boat  in  New  York  to 
go  to  Philadelphia,  my  name  being  called  by  some  of  my  friends  on 
board,  a  gentleman  came  up  to  me,  and  asked  if  my  name  was  Wis- 
ner.     On  being  answered  in  the  affirmative,  he  inquired  if  I  had 

ever  been  in  the  town  of  ,  in  Berkshire  county.     I  told  him  I 

had  passed  through  it  in  1812.  He  then  informed  me,  that  when 
he  was  coming  from  home,  a  lady  requested  him,  if  he  should  meet 
me  on  his  journey,  to  say,  that  she  was  the  individual  who  gave  me 
the  glass  of  water — and  what  I  had  said  en  that  occasion  sunk  so 
deep  into  her  heart,  that  she  could  find  no  rest  until  she  hoped  she 
had  closed  in  with  the  offer  of  her  blessed  Lord^ — auJ  that  she 
wished  me  to  accept  her  thanks  for  what  was  to  her,  truly,  • '  a  word 
spoken  in  season." 

"  Man  Deviseth  his  Way,  but  the  Lord  Directeth 
his  Steps." — When  the  Rev.  Dr.  William  Wisner  was  first 
licensed  to  preach  the  gospel,  he  had  an  invitation  to  become  the 
pastor  of  a  pleasant  church  in  a  beautiful  village  in  Western  New 
York.  He  had  a  beloved  and  respected  clerical  friend,  who  had 
retired  from  the  ministry,  living  in  the  place,  and  made  up  his  mind 
to  accept  the  invitation.  He  started  on  horseback  to  visit  the  con- 
gregation, but  on  the  first  day's  journey  his  horse  calked  himself, 
and  became  so  lame  that  he  was  obliged  to  turn  back  to  get  another 
horse.  This  made  it  too  late  in  the  week  for  him  to  reach  the  place 
before  the  Sabbatli,  and  he  made  up  his  mird  not  to  start  again  till 
the  next  week.  There  was  a  little  village  twenty  miles  from  his 
residence,  in  the  edge  of  Pennsylvania,  where  there  was  no  church, 


A.ND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  317 

and  no  preaching,  except  that  of  two  Universalist  ministers  who 
lived  in  the  place  ;  and  there  had  not  been  a  sermon  preached  there 
by  a  Presbyterian  or  Congregational  minister  for  more  than  three 
years.  The  missionaries  all  shunned  the  place,  because  the  popula- 
tion was  so  inveterately  Universalist  that  they  would  not  hear  them. 
As  he  had  been  called  there,  while  at  the  bar,  to  try  an  important 
ejectment  cause,  he  thought  that  the  novelty  of  hearing  a  lawyer 
preach  would  bring  the  people  out  to  hear  him,  and  resolved  to 
spend  his  unappropriated  Sabbath  in  that  place.  He  went,  accord- 
ingly, and  having  no  expectation  that  he  would  get  them  out  more 
than  once,  prepared  himself  to  show  them,  in  a  single  discourse,  the 
total  depravity  of  the  human  heart,  the  remedy  which  God  had  pro- 
vided for  fallen  man,  and  the  certainty  of  the  eternal  perdition  of 
those  who  did  not  avail  themselves  of  that  provision.  The  congre- 
gation, as  he  -expected,  was  large,  and  the  Lord  rolled  the  love  of 
souls  into  his  bosom,  and  he  preached  under  the  solemn  impression 
that  the  eternal  life  or  the  eternal  death  of  the  great  portion  of  that 
congregation  might  depend,  under  God,  upon  that  single  sermon. 
The  people  were  attentive,  and  knowing,  as  he  did,  that  the  Univer- 
salist ministers  would  soon  catch  away  the  good  seed,  if  it  did  not 
take  deep  root  in  the  heart,  he  felt  that  everything  depended  on  the 
influences  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

In  the  afternoon  the  congregation  was  still  more  crowded  and 
solemn,  and  the  preacher  dwelt  much  upon  the  unwillingness  of  sin- 
ners to  come  to  Christ,  and  the  necessity  of  their  being  born 
again. 

In  the  evening  the  house  was  again  crowded  and  solemn,  and 
some  were  affected  even  to  tears,  and  during  the  last  singing  ho 
made  up  his  mind  to  spend  one  more  Sabbath  in  that  wicked 
place. 

The  next  Lord's  day  there  were  evident  tokens  of  the  divine  pre- 
sence. One  young  lady  and  a  little  girl  of  twelve  years  old,  were 
indulging  a  hope,  and  a  very  hardened  man,  who  had  been  a 
Universalist,  was  under  deep  conviction  of  sin.  Though  his  desire 
was  strong  to  go  to  the  place  to  which  he  had  been  invited,  he  felt 
constrained,  by  the  indications  of  providence,  to  decline  that  invita- 
tion, and  continue  to  labor  where  the  Lord  had  set  him  at  work. 


318  EEMAKKABLE  CONVERSIONS 

Here  he  continued  to  labor,  and  the  Lord  continued  to  bless  his 
efforts  for  the  salvation  of  that  people,  and  a  little  church  of  thirty- 
one  members  was  in  a  few  weeks  gathered  from  among  those  who 
had  been  taught  from  their  youth  to  believe  that  all  men  would  be 
saved. 

Though  the  church  was  too  poor  to  think  of  supporting  a  pastor, 
and  all  who  were  not  converted  were  too  much  opposed  to  the  truth 
to  render  them  much  assistance,  he  continued  to  labor  in  that  place 
for  three  years,  partly  supporting  himself,  and  partly  supported  by 
the  Hampshire  and  Connecticut  missionary  societies. 

Return  of  a  Prodigal. — ^As  I  was  engaged,  one  cold  winter 
morning,  in  conversing  with  a  number  of  awakened  sinners,  in  my 
meeting  of  inquiry,  the  door  was  opened,  and  a  poor,  bloated  inebri- 
ate, thinly  clad,  came  in  trembling  with  the  cold,  and  took  his  seat 
near  the  stove.  When  I  had  conversed  with  all  the  rest  who  were 
present,  I  sat  down  by  the  stranger,  and  inquired  what  his  object 
was  in  visiting  our  meeting.  To  my  inquiry  he  gave  me,  in  sub- 
stance, the  following  answer:  "  I  am  a  poor,  unhappy  man  ;  I  have 
been,  for  some  years,  in  the  habit  of  intemperance  ;  a  short  time 
since  I  became  offended  with  my  father,  quarrelled  with  my  wife, 
and  left  my  parents  and  my  family  with  the  intention  of  returning 
to  them  no  more.  I  came  to  this  place  without  money,  pawned  my 
overcoat  for  my  supper  and  lodging  last  night,  and  on  hearing  the 
bell  ring  this  morning,  and  learning  that  there  was  a  meeting  of 
inquiry  here,  I  have  come  to  see  if  there  is  yet  mercy  for  such  a  man 
as  I  am." 

"  Do  you  feel  that  you  are  a  lost  sinner,  and  justly  deserve  the 
wrath  of  a  holy  God  ?"  I  inquired. 

"  I  know  I  am.  I  have  been  religiously  brought  up,  have  a  pray- 
ing father,  and  a  good  wife  ;  but  I  have  made  a  brute  of  myself,  and 
have  abused  and  forsaken  my  best  friends." 

"  Have  you  j^rank  anything  this  morning  ?" 

"  I  have  not." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  give  up  drinking  altogether,  and  be  a  sober 
man  ?" 

"  That  is  my  purpose,  the  Lord  helping  me." 


AND  REVIVAL  INCmENTS.  819 

*  Do  you  feel  your  need  of  a  Saviour  ?" 
"  I  do." 

*  Are  you  willing  now  to  forsake  your  sins,  and  give  yourself  up 
into  tlie  hands  of  the  Redeemer  to  be  his  forever  V 

"  That  is  the  desire  of  my  heart." 

The  time  having  now  come  to  close  our  meeting,  I  prayed  for  the 
poor  ir^ebriate,  and  making  an  appointment  for  a  meeting  in  the 
afternoon,  I  took  the  stranger  home  with  me  to  dinner.  After  we 
had  dined,  I  learned  that  he  was  the  son  of  a  deacon  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  with  whom  I  was  acquainted,  and  at  whose  house  I 
had  spent  a  night  soon  after  I  was  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel.  I 
furnished  him  with  money  to  redeem  his  coat,  and  kept  him  in  my 
family  until  he  indulged  a  hope  in  Christ  ;  and  then  paid  his  fare, 
and  put  him  on  board  the  stage  to  return  to  his  afflicted  family. 

I  have  subsequently  heard  that  he  got  home  safe,  and  was  a  re- 
formed man,  and  gave  his  friends  reason  to  believe  that  he  had  a 
good  hope  through  grace. 

The  Man  who  -was  Hired  to  go  to  the  Prayer- 
zneeting. — At  a  time  of  some  special  interest  among  our  people,  a 
member  of  the  church,  who  was  a  mechanic,  had  a  journeyman  in 
Lis  shop  who  never  went  to  meeting  in  the  week  time,  and  seldom 
on  the  Sabbath.  His  employer  was  distressed  about  him,  and  one 
evening  endeavored  to  persuade  him  to  attend  the  prayer-meeting. 
His  excuse  was  that  he  could  not  aflford  to  lose  the  time,  he  could 
earn  fifty  cents  while  he  would  be  at  meeting,  and  that  was  too 
much  for  a  poor  man  to  throw  away.  To  overcome  the  influence  of 
this  hope  of  gain,  the  employer  told  him  if  he  would  go  that  even- 
ing, he  would  give  him  fifty  cents  for  his  time.  The  journeyman 
accepted  the  oflfer,  and  went  with  his  employer  to  our  little  prayer- 
meeting.  He  was  an  Englishman,  and  had  never, attended  meeting 
much  in  this  country,  and  had,  I  think,  never  been  at  a  prayer-meeting 
before  in  his  life.  He  became  very  much  interested  in  the  meeting, 
and  the  next  evening  neither  wanted  to  be  paid  or  persuaded  to 
attend.  In  the  course  of  two  or  three  days  he  became  deeply  inter- 
ested in  view  of  his  lost  and  perishing  condition,  and  attended  our 
meeting  of  inquiry  to  know  what  he  should  do  to  be  saved.     He 


><^. 


320  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

felt  that  he  was  the  chief  of  sinners,  and  could  not  conceive  how  a 
holy  God  could  ever  forgive  him.  I  referred  him  for  encouragement 
to  the  case  of  Paul,  who  tells  us  that  he  was  the  chief  of  sinners, 
and  yet  obtained  mercy,  because  he  did  it  ignorantly  through  unbe- 
lief ;  but  when  he  heard  this,  instead  of  taking  encouragement  from 
it,  he  wept  bitterly,  and  said  that  he  could  not  plead  ignorance,  as 
Paul  did,  for  he  believed  the  Bible  to  be  the  Word  of  God,  and  be- 
lieved that  Jesus  Christ  was  the  Son  of  God,  and  yet  he  had,  from 
his  childhood  up,  rejected  him,  and  sinned  against  him  with  a  high 
hand.  I  then  told  him  that  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  cleansed 
from  all  sin,  and  if  he  would  apply  to  his  blessed  Saviour  by  faith, 
though  his  soul  might,  by  reason  of  its  iniquities,  be  red  like  crim- 
son, it  should  be  made  white  like  snow.  This  seemed  in  come  mea- 
sure to  calm  his  troubled  spirit,  but  it  was  several  days  before  he 
could  take  hold  on  Christ  as  his  Eedeemer,  but  when  he  did  he  was 
full  of  joy  and  peace. 

As  soon  as  he  found  a  resting-place  for  his  own  soul,  his  heart  be- 
gan  to  travail  in  pain  for  the  companion  of  his  bosom,  and  he  would 
give  himself  no  rest  until  she  too  was  rejoicing  in  hope. 

He  still  lives,  and  is  a  consistent  member  of  an  evangelical  church, 
and  furnishes  an  encouragement  to  Christians  to  do  all  that  they 
consistently  can  to  bring  careless  sinners  under  the  means  of  grace. 
Though  the  method  resorted  to  by  my  brother  was  quite  a  new 
measure,  yet  God  seemed  to  smile  upon  it,  and  that  half  dollar  was 
probably  the  means  of  saving  a  precious  soul  from  death,  and  hiding 
a  multitude  of  sins. 

Christ's  Yoke. — At  one  of  my  stated  Wednesday  evening  lec- 
tures, I  discoursed  to  my  people  from  the  words  of  the  Saviour  in 
Matt.  xi.  29  :  "  Take  my  yoke  upon  you  and  learn  of  me  ;  for  I  am 
meek  and  lowly  in  heart,  and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls,  for 
my  yoke  is  easy  and  my  burden  is  light." 

At  the  close  of  the  lecture,  I  invited  those  wt.o  had  made  up 
their  minds  to  take  Christ's  yoke  upon  them,  to  meet  me  in  the 
basement  room  of  the  house  immediately  after  the  benediction. 

When  I  entered  the  room  where  I  had  appointed  to  meet  them, 
I  found  six  individuals,  who  professed  to  have  given  themselves  up 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  321 

to  the  Saviour  that  night.  I  examined  them  as  carefully  as  I  could, 
and  thought  they  gave  evidence  of  having  taken  Christ's  yoke  upon 
them,  within  the  meaning  of  the  text. 

How  beautifully  the  Lord  illustrates  spiritual  things  by  temporal  I 
He  takes  the  objects  with  which  we  are  familiar,  to  explain  and 
enforce  those  duties  which  stand  indissolubly  connected  with  our 
eternal  well-being.  His  figures,  like  illuminated  diagrams,  place 
the  great  truths  of  our  holy  religion  so  plainly  and  vividly  before 
the  mind,  that  the  weakest  intellect  can  discern  their  meaning;  and 
the  dullest  imagination  receive  their  impression.  A  man  who  was 
in  the  congregation  at  the  time  to  which  I  have  alluded,  told  me 
that  the  text  made  such  an  impression  on  his  mind,  that  the  whole 
of  the  next  day,  when  he  was  alone  and  thinking  on  the  subject,  he 
would  find  himself  involuntarily  bowing  his  head,  to  place  his  neck 
under  the  yoke  of  Christ. 

A  Juvenile  Home  Missionary. — In  my  congregation, 
during  a  precious  work  of  grace,  there  was  a  little  boy  of  eight 
years  old,  who  was  among  those  who  indulged  a  hope  in  Christ. 
Conversing  with  him  in  regard  to  his  religious  exercises,  I  inquired 
if  he  never  got  in  the  dark,  and  became  afraid  that  he  was  not  a 
Christian. 

He  replied,  ''Oh,  yes  ;  very  often." 

"  Well,  George,  what  do  you  do^at  such  times  ?" 
'  Why,  sir,  I  go  to  Christ  and  submit  over  again,  and  then  I  find 
comfort." 

The  little  boy  gave  such  evidence  of  a  change  of  heart,  that  we 
received  him  into  the  church,  but  his  parents  soon  removed  into 
Michigan,  and  I  did  not  hear  from  him  in  six  years,  when  a  man 
from  the  neighborhood  where  he  lived  gave  us  the  following  account : 

The  family  settled  in  a  new  place,  where  there  was  no  preaching, 
and  no  stated  religious  service  of  any  kind.  When  George  was 
fourteen  years  of  age,  he  went  through  the  settlement,  and,  by  the 
consent  of  the  parents,  collected  the  children  into  a  Sabbath  school, 
of  which  he  was  for  awhile  superintendent  and  teacher  ;  yet  the 
school  grew  and  prospered,  and  was  the  means  of  establishing  the 
ordinances  of  the  gospel  iu  that  place. 

14* 


322  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

The  Little  Daughter's  Request.—"  A  pious  little  girl," 
says  Dr.  Wisuer,  on  one  occasion,  "  who  had  a  very  hardened  father 
in  the  gallery,  took  encouragement  from  the  discourse,  to  go  in 
search  of  her  parent,  and  while  her  heart  was  lifted  up  to  God  for 
his  salvation,  she  threw  her  arms  around  his  neck,  and  with  stream- 
ing eyes,  and  a  voice  almost  choked  with  sobs,  entreated  him  to  go 
down  and  ask  Christians  to  pray  for  his  dying  soul.  The  hardened 
sinner  was  overcome,  and  in  compliance  with  the  entreaties  of  his 
daughter,  and  under  the  strivings  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  sent  down  in 
answer  to  prayer,  he  occupied  the  place  pointed  out  for  anxious^and 
inquiring  sinners,  and  went  home  that  night  with  his  child,  rejoicing 
in  the  hope  of  the  glory  of  God." 

The  Bible  in  place  of  the  Bottle. — At  a  late  meeting 
in  New  York,  a  gentleman  said  he  was  a  witness  for  the  solacing 
influence  of  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ.  Twenty  years  ago  he  was 
in  the  habit  of  serving  the  devil  as  faithfully  as  any  man  ever 
did.  Often  would  he  return  home  from  the  place  of  amusement 
"  half  seas  over,"  but  God  had  given  him  a  pious  wife,  who  watched 
her  opportunity  to  work  for  his  soul  and  for  God's  glory.  The  turn- 
ing point  of  his  life  was  one  occasion  when  he  went  to  look  for  the 
bottle  which  generally  stood  on  a  table,  but  instead  of  finding  it, 
he  lifted  a  Bible  which  his  wife  had  placed  there.  Never  could  he 
forget  that  moment — that  circumstance  !  He  had  never  used  the 
bottle  since,  and  found  the  Bible  a  faithful  companion  under  all 
weathers. 

Conversion  by  Ship-wreck. — At  one  of  the  prayer-meet- 
ings in  Burton's  old  Theatre,  Chambers  street,  a  sailor  in  the  par- 
quette  (a  very  old  man)  said  that  thirty-three  years  ago  he  called 
upon  the  Lord  and  found  him  near  in  a  time  of  need.  When  his 
little  bark  was  foundering,  and  he  was  lashed  to  a  portion  of  the 
wreck,  he  cried  out  to  God  to  take  care  of  him,  and  he  did  so. 
Previous  to  that  time  he  was  as  profane  a  swearer  as  ever  stepped 
on  the  deck  of  a  ship,  but  ever  since  then  he  had  been  preaching  the 
Gospel,  and  was  in  hopes  to  meet  all  his  shipmates  in  heaven,  to 
which,  God  helping  him,  he  was  bound. 


AND  REVIVAL  INCIDKNTB.  823 

Jesus  loves  Idiots. — "  /  have  seen  Jesus,'"  said  a  poor  imbecile, 
who  for  many  years  had  been  the  terror  of  his  neighborhood,  but 
who,  under  the  Divine  influence,  had  become  a  mild  and  gentle  crea- 
ture ;  *'I  have  seen  Jesus,"  was  his  only  reply,  to  those  who  inquired 
what  had  induced  a  change  so  wonderful — and  as  the  years  passed 
on,  and  the  love  of  Jesus  showed  itself  in  his  every  act,  this  single 
testimony  to  the  power  of  the  cross  won  many  a  stouter  heart  to 
yield  to  the  blessed  Redeemer. 

*'  Does  Jesus  love  foolish  boy  ?"  asked  an  idiotic  lad  of  the  Super- 
intendent of  the  Idiotic  Asylum,  at  Essex  Hall,  England.  On 
being  told  that  he  did,  the  poor  child  could  hardly  contain  himself 
for  joy — "  Jesus  love,  Jesus  love  me,"  he  cried,  "  nobody  love  fool- 
ish boy  before,"  and  as  time  passed  on,  the  consciousness  of  the  love 
of  Jesus  made  even  the  lack-lustre  eye  and  grinning  face  of  the  boy 
to  assume  a  look  of  intelligence,  and  his  struggles  to  subdue  the 
evil  propensities  of  his  wayward  nature  showed  that  grace  had 
indeed  found  a  lodgment  in  his  heart. ' 

The  unfeeling  Jailer  Converted. — Two  faithful  preach- 
ers of  the  gospel  in  the  ancient  city  of  Philippi,  deUvered  their 
message  with  such  power  and  demonstration  of  the  Spirit,  that 
notable  conversions  took  place,  and  great  excitement  spread  among 
all  the  population.  The  opposers  of  religion  were  exasperated  to 
fury.  The  preachers  were  dragged  before  the  authorities,  and  in 
the  language  of  an  eye-witness  who  relates  the  story, — the  multi- 
tude rose  up  together  against  them  :  and  the  magistrates  rent  off 
their  clothes,  and  commanded  to  beat  them.  And  when  they  had 
laid  many  stripes  upon  them,  they  cast  them  into  prison,  charging 
the  jailer  to  keep  them  safely  :  who  having  received  such  a  charge, 
thrust  them  into  the  inner  prison,  and  made  their  feet  fast  in  the 
stocks.  And  at  midnight  Paul  and  Silas  prayed,  and  sang  praises 
unto  God,  and  the  prisoners  heard  them.  And  suddenly  there  was 
a  great  earthquake,  so  that  the  foundations  of  the  prison  were 
shaken,  and  immediately  all  the  doors  were  opened,  and  every  one's 
bauds  were  loosed.  And  the  keeper  of  the  prison  awaking  out  of 
his  sleep,  and  seeing  the  prison  doors'  open,  he  drew  out  his  sword, 
and  would  have  killed  himself,  supposing  that  the  prisoners  had 


324  .  EEMAKKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

fled.  But  Paul  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  saying,  "Do  thyself 
no  harm,  for  we  are  all  here."  Then  he  called  for  a  light,  and 
sprang  in,  and  came  trembling,  and  fell  down  before  Paul  and  Silas, 
and  brought  them  out,  and  said,  "  Sirs,  what  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?" 
and  they  said,  '*  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou 
shalt  be  saved,  and  tby  house."  And  they  spake  unto  him  the  word 
of  the  Lord,  and  to  all  that  were  in  his  house.  And  he  took  them 
the  same  hour  of  the  night,  and  washed  their  stripes  ;  and  was  bap- 
tized, he  and  all  his,  straightway.  And  when  he  had  brought  them 
into  his  house,  he  set  meat  before  them,  and  rejoiced,  believing  in 
God  with  all  his  house. 

A  Father  and  his  Friends  Praying. — A  gentleman 
in  Boston  had  an  impenitent  son  in  Vermont,  for  whose  salvation 
he  felt  extremely  an;i:ious,  and  calling  on  some  of  the  brethren  of  the 
church,  made  known  to  them  his  feelings,  and  requested  them  to  go 
with  him  and  pray  that  his  son  might  be  converted  to  God.  He 
prevailed  on  his  brethren,  and  they  joined  him  in  prayer. 

Not  long  after  this,  his  son  knocked  at  his  father's  door  in  Boston  ; 
his  father  went  to  the  door,  and  his  son,  on  seeing  him,  exclaimed, 
weeping,  "  I  have  come  to  see  you,  that  you  might  rejoice  with  me 
for  what  the  Lord  has  done  for  my  soul."  His  father  inquired  at 
what  time  his  mind  was  first  arrested.  He  replied,  on  such  an  even- 
ing, about  eight  o'clock.  His  father  remembered  it  was  the  same 
time  at  which  he  and  his  brethren  engaged  in  prayer  for  his  son, 
and  he  greatly  rejoiced  with  him  in  the  goodness  of  God. 

**I  KnovT  What  is  the  Matter." — A  gay,  dissipated 
young  man  went  one  day  to  his  pious  mother,  and  said,  "  Mother, 
let  me  have  my  best  clothes,  I  am  going  to  a  ball  to-night." 
Slie  expostulated  with  him,  and  urged  him  not  to  go,  by  every 
argument  in  her  power.  He  answered,  "  Mother,  let  me  have 
my  clothes,  I  will  p;o,  and  it  is  useless  to  say  anything  about 
it."  She  brought  his  clothes  ;  he  put  them  on,  and  was  going 
out.  She  stopped  him,  and  said,  "  My  child,  do  not  go."  He  said 
he  would  ;  she  tlicn  said  to  Min,  "  My  son,  while  you  are  dancing 
with  your  gay  con^paiiions  in   tlio  ba'1-room,  I  shall  be  out  in  that 


AND   REVIVAL   INCmENTS.  325 

mlderness  praying  to  the  Lord  to  convert  your  soul."  He  went  ; 
the  ball  commenced  ;  but  instead  of  the  usual  gaiety,  an  unaccount- 
able gloom  pervaded  the  whole  assembly.  One  said,  "  We  never 
had  such  a  dull  meeting  in  our  lives  ;"  another,  "  I  wish  we  had  not 
come,  we  have  no  life,  we  cannot  get  along  ;"  a  third,  "  I  cannot 
think  what  is  the  matter."  The  young  man  instantly  burst  into 
tears,  and  said,  "  I  know  what  is  the  matter  ;  my  poor  old  mother 
is  now  praying  in  yonder  wilderness  for  her  ungodly  son."  He  took 
his  hat,  and  said,  "  I  will  never  be  found  in  such  a  place  as  this 
again,"  and  left  the  company.  To  be  short,  the  Lord  converted  his 
soul.  He  became  a  member  of  the  church — was  soon  after  taken 
ill — and  died  happy. 

The  Conversion  of  Abigail  Hutchinson. — "  She  was," 
says  President  Edwards,  "  of  a  rational,  intelligent  family  ;  there 
could  be  nothing  in  her  education  that  tended  to  enthusiasm,  but 
rather  to  the  contrary  extreme.  It  is  in  no  wise  the  temper  of  the 
family  to  be  ostentatious  of  experiences,  and  it  was  far  from  being 
her  temper.  She  was,  before  her  conversion,  to  the  observation  of 
her  neighbors,  of  a  sober  and  inoffensive  conversation,  and  was  a 
still,  quiet,  reserved  person. 

"  She  was  first  awakened  in  the  winter  season,  on  Monday,  by 
something  she  heard  her  brother  say  of  the  necessity  of  being  in 
good  earnest  in  seeking  regenerating  grace,  together  with  the  news 
of  the  conversion  of  the  young  woman  before  mentioned,  whose  con- 
version so  generally  affected  most  of  the  young  people  here.  This 
news  wrought  much  upon  her,  and  stirred  up  a  spirit  of  envy  in  her 
towards  this  young  woman,  whom  she  thought  very  unworthy  of 
being  distinguished  from  others  by  such  a  mercy,  but  withal  it  en- 
gaged her  in  a  firm  resolution  to  do  her  utmost  to  obtain  the  same 
blessing  ;  and,  considering  with  herself  what  course  she  should  take, 
she  thought  that  she  had  not  a  sufficient  knowledge  of  the  principles 
of  religion  to  render  her  capable  of  conversion  ;  whereupon  she 
resolved  thoroughly  to  search  the  Scriptures,  and  accordingly  im- 
mediately began  at  the  beginning  of  the  Bible,  intending  to  read  it 
through.  She  continued  thus  till  Thursday,  and  then  there  was  a 
sudden  alteration,  by  a  great  increase  of  her  concern,  in  an  extra- 


826  EEMAEK^LE  CONVEE8ION8 

ordinary  sense  of  her  own  sinfulness,  particularly  the  sinfulness  of 
her  nature,  and  the  wickedness  of  her  heart,  which  came  upon  her 
(as  she  expressed  it)  as  a  flash  of  lightning,  and  struck  an  exceed- 
ing'terror  upon  her.  Upon  which  she  left  off  reading  the  Bible  in 
course  as  she  had  begun,  and  turned  to  the  New  Testament,  to  see 
if  she  could  not  find  some  relief  there  for  her  distressed  soul. 

"  Her  great  terror,  she  said,  was  that  she  had  sinned  against 
God  ;  her  distress  grew  more  and  more  for  three  days,  until  (as  she 
Baid)  she  saw  nothing  but  the  blackness  of  darkness  before  her, 
and  her  very  flesh  trembled  for  fear  of  God's  wrath.  On  Saturday 
she  was  earnestly  engaged  in  reading  the  Bible  and  other  books,  and 
continued  in  it,  searching  for  something  to  relieve  her,  till  her  eyes 
were  so  dim  that  she  could  not  distinguish  the  letters.  She  came 
the  same  day  to  her  brother  with  the  countenance  of  a  person  in 
distress,  expostulating  with  him  why  he  had  not  told  her  more  of 
her  sinfulness,  and  earnestly  inquiring  of  him  what  she  should  do. 
She  seemed,  that  day,  to  feel  in  herself  an  enmity  against  the  Bible, 
which  greatly  affrighted  her.  Her  sense  of  her  own  exceeding  sin- 
fulness continued  increasing.  On  the  Sabbath  she  was  so  ill  that 
her  friends  thought  it  not  best  that  she  should  go  to  public  worship, 
of  which  she  seemed  very  desirous  ;  but  when  she  went  to  bed  on 
Sabbath  night,  she  formed  a  resolution  that  she  would,  the  next 
morning,  go  to  the  minister,  hoping  to  find  some  relief  there.  As 
she  awaked  on  Monday  morning  a  little  before  day,  she  wondered 
within  herself  at  the  easiness  and  calmness  she  felt  in  her  mind,  which 
was  of  a  kind  which  she  never  felt  before.  As  she  thought  of  this, 
such  words  as  these  were  in  her  mind  :  *'  The  words  of  the  Lord  are 
pure  words,  health  to  the  soul  and  marrow  to  the  bones  ;"  and  then 
these  words  came  to  her  mind — "  The  blood  of  Christ  cleanseth  from 
all  sin  ;"  which  were  accompanied  with  a  lively  sense  of  the  excel- 
lency of  Christ,  and  his  sufficiency  to  satisfy  for  the  sins  of  the  whole 
world.  She  then  thought  of  that  expression — "  It  is  a  pleasant 
thing  for  the  eyes  to  behold  the  sun  ;"  which  words  then  seemed  to 
her  to  be  very  applicable  to  Jesus  Christ.  By  these  things  her 
mind  was  led  into  such  contemplations  and  views  of  Christ  as  filled 
her  with  exceeding  joy.  She  told  her  brother  in  the  morning  that 
she  had  seen  (i.  e.  in  realizing  views  by  faith)  Christ  the  last  night, 


AND  REVIVAL  INCroENTS.  327 

and  that  she  had  really  thought  that  she  had  not  knowledge  enough 
to  be  converted  ;  but,  said  she,  God  can  make  it  quite  easy  I  On 
Monday  she  felt  all  day  a  constant  sweetness  in  her  soul.  She  had 
a  repetition  of  the  same  discoveries  of  Christ  three  mornings  to- 
gether, that  she  had  on  Monday  morning,  and  much  in  the  same 
manner  at  each  time,  waking  a  little  before  day,  but  brighter  an  [ 
brighter  every  time. 

After  this  there  happened  to  come  into  the  shop  where  she  was  at 
work,  three  persons  that  were  thought  to  have  been. lately  converted  ; 
her  seeing  them,  as  they  stepped  one  after  another  into  the  door,  so 
afiTected  her,  and  so  drew  forth  her  love  to  them,  that  it  overcame  her, 
and  she  almost  fainted  ;  and  when  they  began  to  talk  of  the  things 
of  religion,  it  was  more  than  she  could  bear — they  were  obliged  to 
cease  on  that  account.  It  was  a  very  frequent  thing  with  her  to  be 
overcome  with  a  flow  of  affection  to  them  that  she  thought  godly,  in 
conversation  with  them,  and  sometimes  only  at  the  sight  of  them. 

She  had  many  extraordinary  discoveries  of  the  glory  of  God  and 
Christ ;  sometimes  in  some  particular  attributes,  and  sometimes  in 
many.  She  gave  an  account  that  once,  as  those  four  words  passed 
through  her  mind,  wisdom,  justice,  goodness,  truth,  her  soul  wa& 
filled  with  a  sense  of  the  glory  of  each  of  these  divine  attributes,  but 
especially  the  last. — Truth,  she  said,  sunk  the  deepest  I  and,  there- 
fore, as  these  words  passed,  this  was  repeated,  truth,  truth  !  Her 
mind  was  so  swallowed  up  with  a  sense  of  the  glory  of  God's  truth 
and  other  perfections,  that  she  said  it  seemed  as  though  her  life  was 
going,  and  that  she  saw  it  was  easy  with  God  to  take  away  her  life 
by  discoveries  of  himself. 

She  once  expressed  herself  to  one  of  her  sisters  to  tbij^  purpose, 
that  she  had  continued  whole  days  and  whole  nights,  in  a  constant 
ravishing  view  of  the  glory  of  God  and  Christ,  having  enjoyed  as 
much  as  her  life  could  bear.  Once  as  her  brother  was  speaking  of 
the  dying  love  of  Christ,  she  told  him  that  she  had  such  a  sense  of 
it  that  the  mere  mentioning  it  was  ready  to  overcome  her. 

Once  when  she  came  to  me,  she  told  how  that  at  such  a  time  she 
thought  she  saw  as  much  of  God,  and  had  as  much  joy  and  pleasure 
as  was  possible  in  this  life,  and  yet  that  afterwards  God  discovered 
himself  far  more  abundantly,  and  she  saw  the  same  things  that  she 


328  EEMAEKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

had  seen  before,  yet  more  clearly,  and  in  another  and  far  more  e>- 
cellent  and  delightful  manner,  and  was  filled  with  a  more  exceeding 

joy. 

She  often  expressed  a  sense  of  the  glory  of  God  appearing  in  the 
trees  and  growth  of  the  fields,  and  other  works  of  God's  hands. 
She  told  her  sister  that  lived  near  the  heart  of  the  town,  that  she 
once  thought  it  a  pleasant  thing  to  live  in  the  middle  of  the  town, 
"  but  now,"  said  she,  "  I  think  it  much  more  pleasant  to  sit  and  see 
the  wind  blowing  the  trees,  and  to  behold  in  the  country  what  God 
has  made." 

She  was  wont  to  manifest  a  great  sense  of  her  own  meanness  and 
dependence.  She  often  expressed  an  exceeding  compassion  and 
pitiful  love  which  she  found  in  her  heart  towards  persons  in  a  Christ- 
less  condition,  which  was  sometimes  so  strong,  that  as  she  passing  by 
such  in  the  streets,  or  those  that  she  feared  were  such,  she  would  be 
overcome  by  the  sight  of  them. 

After  this  her  illness  increased  upon  her  ;  and  once  when  her 
brother  mentioned  to  her  the  danger  there  seemed  to  be  that  her 
present  illness  might  be  the  occasion  of  her  death,  it  filled  her  with 
joy  that  almost  overcame  her.  At  another  time,  when  she  met  a 
company  following  the  body  of  one  departed  to  the  grave,  she  said 
it  was  sweet  to  her  to  think  that  they  would  in  a  little  time  follow 
her  in  like  manner. 

Others  were  greatly  moved  to  see  what  she  suffered,  and  were 
filled  with  admiration  at  her  unexampled  patience.  At  a  time  when 
she  was  striving  in  vain  to  get  down  a  httle  food,>aud  was  very 
ranch  spent  with  it,  she  looked  upon  her  sister  with  a  smile,  saying, 
"  0  sister,  this  is  for  my  good  I"  At  another  time,  when  her  sister 
was  speaking  of  what  she  suffered,  she  told  her  that  she  lived  a 
heaven  upon  earth  for  all  that.  She  used  sometimes  to  say  to  her 
sister,  under  her  extreme  sufferings,  "  It  is  good  to  be  so."  Her 
sister  once  asked  her  why  she  said  so.  She  replied,  "  Because  God 
would  have  it  so  ;  it  is  best  that  things  should  be  as  God  would 
have  them  ;  it  looks  best  to  me. 

She  was  very  weak  a  considerable  time  before  she  died,  having 
pined  away  with  famine  and  thirst,  so  that  her  flesh  seemed  to  bo 
dried  upon  her  bones,  and  therefore  could  say  but  little,  and  manb 


^-  AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  329 

fested  her  mind  very  mucli  by  signs.  She  said  she  had  matter 
enongh  to  fill  up  all  her  time  with  conversation,  if  she  had  but 
strength.  A  few  days  before  her  death  some  asked  her  whether  she 
held  her  integrity  still.  Whether  she  was  not  afraid  of  death. 
She  answered  to  this  purpose,  that  she  had  not  the  least  degree  of 
fear  of  death.  They  asked  her  why  she  would  be  so  confident. 
She  answereed,  "  If  I  should  say  otherwise,  I  should  speak  contrary 
to  what  I  know  ;  there  is  indeed  a  dark  entry  that  looks  something 
dark,  but  on  the  other  side  there  appears  such  a  bright  shining  light 
that  I  cannot  be  afraid  !" 

She  seemed  to  be  dying  for  three  days  together  ;  but  seemed  to 
continue  in  an  admirably  sweet  composure  of  soul,  without  any  in- 
terruption, to  the  last,  and  died  as  a  person  that  went  to  sleep,  with- 
out any  struggling,  about  noon,  on  Friday,  June  21,  1135.  She 
died  chiefly  of  famine. 

Conversion  of  Phebe  Bartlett,  a  Child  of  Four 
Years. — She  was  born  in  March,  in  the  year  1731.  About  the 
latter  end  of  Apiil,  or  the  beginning  of  May,  1135,  she  was  greatly 
afl'ected  by  the  talk  of  her  brother,  who  had  been  hopefully  convert- 
ed a  little  before,  at  about  eleven  years  of  age,  and  then  seriously 
talked  to  her  about  the  great  things  of  religion.  Her  parents  now 
observed  her  very  earnestly  to  listen  to  the  advice  they  gave  to  the 
other  children,  and  she  was  observed  very  constantly  to  retire,  several 
times  in  a  day,  as  was  concluded  for  secret  prayer,  and  grew  more 
and  more  engaged  in  religion,  and  was  more  frequently  in  her  closet, 
till  at  last  she  was  wont  to  visit  it  five  or  six  times  in  a  day,  and  was 
60  engaged  in  it  that  nothing  would  at  any  time  divert  her  from  her 
stated  closet  exercises. 

She  once,  of  her  own  accord,  spoke  of  her  want  of  success,  in 
that  she  could  not  find  God,  or  to  that  purpose.  But  on  Thursday, 
the  last  day  of  July,  about  the  middle  of  the  day,  the  child  being  in 
the  closet  where  it  used  to  retire,  its  mother  heard  it  speaking  aloud, 
which  was  unusual,  and  never  had  been  observed  before  ;  and  her 
voice  seemed  to  be  as  of  one  exceeding  importunate  and  engaged, 
but  her  mother  could  distinctly  hear  only  these  words  (spoken  in  her 
childish  manner,  but  which  seemed  to  be  spoken,  with  extraordinary 


330  REMAHKABLE  CONVERSIONS 

earnestness  and  out  of  distress  of  soul)  :  "  Pray  blessed  Lord,  give 
me  salvation  !  I  pray,  beg,  pardon  all  my  sins  1"  When  the  child 
had  done  prayer  she  came  out  of  the  closet,  and  came  and  sat  down 
by  her  mother,  and  cried  out  aloud.  Her  mother  very  earnestly 
asked  her  several  times  what  the  matter  was  before  she  would  make 
any  answer,  but  she  continued  crying,  and  writhing  her  body  to 
and  fro,  like  one  in  anguish  of  spirit.  Her  mother  then  asked  her 
whether  she  was  afraid  that  God  would  not  give  her  salvation.  She 
answered,  "  Yes,  I  am  afraid  I  shall  go  to  hell  I"  Her  mother  then 
endeavored  to  quiet  her,  and  told  her  she  would  not  have  her  cry  ; 
she  must  be  a  good  girl,  and  pray  every  day,  and  she  hoped  God 
would  give  her  salvation.  But  this  did  not  quiet  her  at  all — but 
she  continued  thus  earnestly  crying  for  some  time,  till  at  length  she 
suddenly  ceased  crying  and  began  to  smile,  and  presently  said,  with 
a  smiling  countenance,  "  Mother,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  come  to 
me  I"  Her  mother  was  surprised  at  the  sudden  alteration,  and  at 
the  speech,  and  knew  not  what  to  make  of  it,  but  at  first  said  noth- 
ing to  her.  The  child  presently  spoke  again,  and  said,  "  There  is 
another  come  to  me,  and  there  is  another — there  is  three  ;"  and 
being  asked  what  she  meant,  she  answered,  "  One  is,  thy  will  he 
done,  and  there  is  another,  enjoy  him  for  ever ;"  by  which  it  seems 
that  when  the  child  said  there  is  three  come  to  me,  she  meant  three 
passages  of  her  catechism  that  came  to  her  mind. 

After  the  child  had  said  this,  she  retired  again  into  her  closet,  and 
her  mother  went  over  to  her  brother's,  who  was  next  neighbor  ;  and 
when  she  came  back,  the  child  being  come  out  of  the  closet,  met  her 
mother  with  this  cheerful  speech,  "  I  can  find  God  now  I"  referring 
to  what  she  had  before  complained  of,  that  she  could  not  find  God. 
Then  the  child  spoke  again,  and  said,  "  I  love  God  I"  Her  mother 
asked  her  how  well  she  loved  God,  whether  she  loved  God  better 
than  her  father  and  mother.  She  said  "  Yes."  Then  she  asked  her 
whether  she  loved  God  better  than  her  little  sister  Rachael.  She 
answered,  "  Yes,  better  than  anything  1"  Then  her  eldest  sister,  re- 
ferring to  her  saying  she  could  find  God  now,  asked  her  where  she 
could  find  God.  She  answered,  "  In  heaven."  Why,  said  she,  have 
you  been  in  heaven  ?  "  No,"  said  the  child.  By  this  it  seems  not 
to  have  been  any  imagination  of  anything  seen  with  bodily  eyes  that 


AND  BEVrVAIi  INCIDENTS.  331 

she  called  God,  when  she  said,  "  I  can  find  God  now."  Ilcr 
mother  asked  her  whether  she  was  afraid  of  going  to  hell,  and  if  it 
was  that  that  had  made  her  cry.  She  answered,  "  Yes,  I  was  ;  but 
now  I  shall  not."  Her  mother  asked  her  whether  she  thought  that 
God  had  given  her  salvation.  She  answered,  "Yes."  Her  mother 
asked  her  when.  She  answered,  "  To-day."  She  appeared  all  that 
afternoon  exceeding  cheerful  and  joyful. 

The  same  day  the  elder  children,  when  they  came  home  from  school, 
seemed  much  affected  with  the  extraordinary  change  that  seemed  to 
be  made  in  Phebe  ;  and  her  sister  Abigail  standing  by,  her  mother 
took  occasion  to  counsel  her  now  to  improve  her  time  to  prepare  for 
another  world  ;  on  which  Phebe  burst  into  tears,  and  cried  out 
"  Poor  Nabby  I"  Her  mother  told  her  she  would  not  have  her  cry, 
she  hoped  that  God  would  give  Nabby  salvation  ;  but  that  did  not 
quiet  her,  but  she  continued  earnestly  crying  for  some  time  ;  and 
when  she  had  in  a  measure  ceased,  her  sister  Eunice  being  by  her, 
she  burst  out  again,  and  cried  "  Poor  Eunice  I"  and  cried  exceed- 
ingly ;  and  when  she  had  almost  done,  she  went  into  another  room 
and  there  looked  upon  her  sister  Naomi,  and  burst  out  again,  crying 
"  Poor  Amy  !"  Her  mother  was  greatly  affected  at  such  a  beha- 
vior in  the  child,  and  knew  not  what  to  say  to  her.  One  of  the 
neighbors  coming  in  a  little  after,  asked  her  what  she  had  cried  for. 
She  seemed,  at  first,  backward  to  tell  the  reason  ;  her  mother  told 
her  she  might  tell  that  person  ;  upon  which  she  said  she  "  cried  be- 
cause she  was  afraid  they  would  go  to  hell." 

At  ni^ht,  a  certain  minister  that  was  occasionally  in  the  town 
was  at  the  house,  and  talked  considerably  with  her  of  the  things  of 
religion  ;  and  after  he  was  gone,  she  sat  leaning  on  the  table,  with 
tears  falling  from  her  eyes  ;  and  being  asked  what  made  her  cry, 
she  said  that  it  was  "  thinking  about  God."  The  next  day  being 
Saturday,  she  seemed  a  great  part  of  the  day  to  be  in  a  very  affec- 
tionate frame,  had  four  turns  of  crying,  and  seemed  to  endeavor  to 
curb  herself  and  hide  her  tears,  and  was  very  backward  to  talk  of 
the  occasion  of  it.  On  the  Sabbath,  she  was  asked  whether  she  be- 
lieved in  God  ;  she  answered  yes  ;  and  being  told  that  Christ  was 
the  Son  of  God,  she  made  ready  answer,  and  said,  "  I  know  it." 

From  this  time  there  has  appeared  a  very  remarkable  abiding 


332  REMAHKABLE   C0NVEESI0N8 

change  in  the  child  :  she  has  been  very  strict  upon  the  Sabbath, 
and  seems  to  long  for  the  Sabbath-day  before  it  comes,  and  will 
often  in  the  week-time  be  inquiring  how  long  it  is  to  the  Sabbath- 
day,  and  must  have  the  days  particularly  counted  over  that  are  be- 
tween before  she  will  be  contented.  And  she  seems  to  love  God's 
house,  and  is  very  eager  to  go  thither.  Her  mother  once  asked  her 
why  she  had  such  a  mind  to  go.  Whether  it  was  not  to  see  fine 
folks.      She  said  no,  it  was  to  hear  Mr.  Edwards  preach. 

She  seems  to  have  very  much  of  the  fear  of  God  before  her  eyes, 
and  an  extraordinary  dread  of  sin  against  him  ;  of  which  her  mother 
mentioned  the  following  remarkable  instance.  Some  time  in  Au- 
gust, the  last  year,  she  went  with  some  larger  children  to  get  some 
plums  in  a  neighbor's  lot,  knowing  nothing  of  any  harm  in  what  she 
did  ;  but  when  she  brought  some  of  the  plums  into  the  house  her 
mother  mildly  reproved  her,  and  told  her  that  she  must  not  get 
plums  without  leave,  because  it  was  sin  ;  God  had  commanded  her 
not  to  steal.  The  child  seemed  greatly  surprised,  and  burst  into 
tears,  and  cried  out,  *'  I  will  not  have  these  plums  I"  And  turning 
to  her  sister  Eunice,  very  earnestly  said  to  her — "  Why  did  you  ask 
me  to  go  to  that  plum  tree  ?  I  should  not  have  gone  if  you  had 
not  asked  me."  The  other  children  did  not  seem  to  be  much  affected 
or  concerned  ;  but  there  was  no  paci^^ing  Phebe.  Her  mother  told 
her  she  might  go  and  ask  leave,  and  then  it  would  not  be  sin  for  her 
to  eat  them,  and  sent  one  of  the  children  to  that  end  ;  ajd  when 
she  returned,  her  mother  told  her  that,  as  the  owner  had  given 
leave,  now  she  might  eat  them,  and  it  would  not  be  stealing.  This 
stilled  her  a  little  while,  but  presently  she  broke  out  again  into  an 
exceeding  fit  of  crying.  Her  mother  asked  her  what  made  her  cry 
again  ;  why  she  cried  now,  since  they  had  asked  leave  ;  what  it  was 
that  troubled  her  now  ;  and  asked  her  several  times  very  earnestly, 
before  she  made  any  answer  ;  but  at  last  said  it  was  because — 
'*  BECAUSE  IT  WAS  SIN."'  She  coutinucd  a  considerable  time  crying, 
and  said  she  would  not  go  again  if  Eunice  asked  her  a  hundred 
times  ;  and  she  retained  her  aversion  to  that  fruit  for  a  considera« 
ble  time,  under  the  remembrance  of  her  former  sin. 


AND   REVIVAL   INCrDENTB.  333 

Captain  Scott,  the  Preacher. — Soon  after  Lady  Hunt- 
ingtou  fitted  up  her  chapel  at  Oatball,  a  regiment  of  soldiers  was 
quartered  in  the  vicinity.  The  captain,  a  gay  officer,  went  out  one 
day  on  a  sporting  frolic,  and  was  forced  by  a  violent  shower  to  seek 
shelter  under  a  shed  with  a  farmer  and  his  laborers,  with  whom  he 
soon  entered  into  conversation  ;  the  farmer  was  a  Christian  man, 
and  the  talk  took  a  religious  turn.  His  remarks  surprised  and 
interested  the  officer,  and  he  asked  where  so  much  had  been  learned 
about  divine  things. 

"  In  that  hall  yonder,"  answered  the  farmer,  "  where  there  is  a 
famous  man,  a  Mr.  Romaine,  preaching  for  Lady  Huntington  ;  you 
would  do  well  to  go  and  hear  him  for  yourself." 

Captain  Scott,  moved  by  all  the  circumstances,  determined  to  do 
so,  and  on  the  following  Sabbath  bent  his  steps  thitherward.  On 
entering  the  hall,  the  devout  and  serious  ah*  of  the  congregation 
forcibly  impressed  his  mind.  He  was  now  in  the  presence  of  one 
who  seemed  to  him  to  speak  as  man  never  before  spoke,  and  they 
were  truths  just  suited  to  his  case.  He  afterwards  made  the 
acquaintance  of  Mr.  Romaine  in  London,  whose  prayers  and 
instructions  confirmed  him  in  his  resolutions  to  seek  with  all  dili- 
gence to  make  his  calling  and  election  sure  ;  and  as  he  had  proved 
himself  a  brave  officer  on  the  plains  of  Minden,  so  did  he  become 
valiant  in  a  better  service,  even  a  heavenly. 

'*I  went  last  Monday,"  said  Fletcher,  "to  meet  Captain  Scott, 
one  of  the  fruits  that  have  grown  for  the  Lord  at  Oathall — a  cap- 
tain of  the  truth — a  bold  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ.  God  hath  thrown 
down  before  him  the  middle  wall  of  bigotry,  and  he  boldly  launches 
into  an  irregular  usefulness.  For  some  months  he  has  exhorted  his 
dragoons  daily  ;  for  some  weeks  he  has  preached  publicly  at  the 
Methodist  meeting-house  at  Leicester,  in  his  regimentals,  to  numer- 
ous congregations.  The  stiff  ones  pursue  him  with  hue  and  cry,  but 
I  believe  he  is  quite  beyond  their  reach.  God  keep  him  zealous  and 
simple.  I  believe  this  red  coat  will  shame  many  a  black  one.  I  am 
sure  he  shames  me." 

Whitefield  invited  him  to  come  to  London,  and  "  bring  his  artil- 
lery to  Tubeniacle-rampart." 

Captain  Scott   was   an   accomplished   man,  of  an   ancient  and 


334:  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

respectable  family,  with  flattering  prospects  of  worldly  advance- 
meut  ;  but  worldly  honors  now  ceased  to  charm  him  :  he  quitted 
the  army  for  the  ministry,  and  for  twenty  years  was  one  of  the  sup- 
plies at  the  Tabernacle,  and  his  new  labors  were  crowned  with 
abundant  success. 

Another  of  the  first-fruits  of  Oathall  was  an  old  man  of  a  hun- 
dred years.  He  had  long  been  serious,  and  had  often  complained 
that  church-preaching  was  not  like  church-prayers  ;  and  though  no 
friend  to  "  new  measures,"  old  Abraham  determined  one  day  to  go 
and  hear  for  himself  what  kind  of  stuff  they  had  at  the  chapel.  He 
listened  with  the  profoundest  attention  and  delight  while  Mr.  Venn 
discoursed  of  the  love  of  Christ,  and  could  hardly  contain  himself 
for  joy.  "Ah,  neighbor,"  he  exclaimed,  as  soon  as  the  services 
were  over,  tapping  the  shoulder  of  one  who  sat  next  to  him,  "  this 
is  the  very  truth  of  God's  word,  which  I  have  been  for  ever  seeking, 
and  never  found  before.     Here  will  I  abide." 

Lady  Huntington  at  Brighton. — Lady  Huntington  went 
frequently  to  the  obscure  lodgings  of  a  poor  soldier's  wife,  carrying 
her  food  to  eat  and  raiment  to  put  on,  and  inviting  her  to  "  the 
Lamb  of  God,  who  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world."  The  wo- 
man's room  was  next  to  a  public  bakehouse,  where  the  people 
who  worked  at  the  oven  overheard  the  pious  conversation  of  a  lady 
through  a  crack  in  the  ceiling.  When  her  visits  became  known, 
other  poor  women  begged  to  come  in  and  be  taught  also,  until  a 
little  company  assembled  daily,  with  whom  she  prayed,  read,  and 
explained  the  Scriptures.  One  day  a  blacksmith,  notorious  for  his 
wickedness,  swore  he  would  go  to  the  meetings,  and  accordingly 
forced  himself  in  behind  the  women.  When  Lady  Huntington 
entered  and  saw  a  man  in  the  corner,  she  was  about  to  ask  him  to 
withdraw,  but  on  second  thought  concluded  to  go  on  as  usual.  Her 
simple,  direct,  and  affectionate  exhortations  touched  the  conscience 
of  the  bold  blasphemer.  He  who  came  to  scoff  went  away  with  the 
cry,  "  Lord,  what  shall  I  do  to  be  saved  ?"  A  radical  cha,nge  took 
place  in  his  character,  and  for  nearly  twenty-nine  years  he  lived  to 
adorn  the  doctrine  of  his  Lord  and  Saviour. 

One  day  as  Lady  Huntington  was  walkmg  out,  a  lady  suddenly 


AND  REVIVAL  INCIDENTS.  336 

accosted  her,  "  Oh,  madam,  you  are  come."  Surprised  at  so  abrupt 
au  address  from  an  entire  stranger,  she  feared  the  woman  was 
deranged.  "  What  do  you  know  of  me  ?"  asked  the  countess. 
"  Madam,  I  saw  you  in  a  di'eam  three  years  ago,  dressed  as  you  now 
are,"  answered  the  stranger,  and  then  related  other  circumstances 
connected  with  the  dream.  Singular  as  these  circumstances  were, 
an  acquaintance  was  formed  between  them,  and  Lady  Huntington 
became  instrumental  in  the  conversion  of  her  new-found  friend,  who 
died  a  year  afterwards  in  the  triumphs  of  faith. 

Her  jewels  were  sold  for  six  hundred  and  ninety-eight  pounds,  and 
with  this  she  erected  a  neat  house  of  worship,  which  was  opened  in 
1160.  Here  Romaine,  Venn,  and  other  godly  men  labored  with 
apostolic  zeal,  and  though  their  work  was  often  evil-spoken  of,  the 
Lord  "  added  to  the  church  daily  of  such  as  should  be  saved." 

The  Power  of  Christian  Meekness.— Mr.  Cennick  was 
rather  below  the  middle  stature,  of  a  fair  countenance,  and  though 
by  no  means  robust  in  health,  he  knew  little  of  timidity.  The  spirit 
in  which  he  discharged  his  ministry  may  be  seen  in  a  letter  he  wrote 
to  a  friend  :  "  We  sang  a  hymn,  and  then  the  devil  led  on  his  ser- 
vants ;  they  began  beating  a  drum,  and  then  made  fires  of  gunpow- 
der :  at  first  the  poor  flock  was  startled  ;  but  while  God  gave  me 
power  to  speak  encouragingly  to  them,  they  waxed  bolder,  and  very 
few  moved.  The  mob  then  fired  guns  over  the  people's  heads,  and 
began  to  play  a  water  engine  upon  brother  Harris  and  myself,  till 
we  were  wet  through.  They  also  played  an  engine  upon  us  with 
hog's-wash  and  grounds  of  beer-barrels,  and  covered  us  with  muddy 
water  from  a  ditch  ;  they  pelted  us  with  eggs  and  stones,  threw  bas- 
kets of  dust  over  us,  and  fired  their  guns  so  close  to  us  that  our  faces 
were  black  with  the  powder  ;  but,  in  nothing  terrified,  we  remained 
praying.  I  think  I  never  saw  or  felt  so  great  a  power  of  God  as 
was  there.  In  the  midst  of  the  confused  multitude,  I  saw  a  man 
laboring  above  measure,  earnest  to  fill  the  buckets  with  water  to 
throw  upon  us.  I  asked  him,  *  What  harm  do  we  do  ?  Why  are 
you  so  furious  against  us  ?  We  only  come  to  tell  you  that  Christ 
loved  you,  and  died  for  you.'  He  stepped  back  a  httle  for  room, 
and  threw  a  bucket  of  water  in  my  face.    When  I  had  recovered 


336  EEMAKKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

myself,  I  said,  '  My  dear  man,  if  God  should  so  pour  his  wrath  upon 
you,  what  would  become  of  you  ?  Yet  I  tell  you  that  Christ  loves 
you.'  He  threw  away  the  bucket,  let  fall  his  trembling  hands,  and 
looked  as  pale  as  death  ;  he  then  shook  hands  with  me,  and  parted 
from  me,  I  believe,  under  strong  convictions." 

A  Gospel  Knight-errant. — Rev.  Howel  Harris,  one  of  Mr. 

Whitefield's  energetic  followers,  was  a  man  of  extraordinary  powers 
of  body  and  mind.  Harris  used  to  relate  of  himself,  that  being  once 
on  a  journey  through  Wales,  he  was  subjected  to  great  temptation 
to  desert  his  Master's  cause,  when  he  said,  "  Satan,  I'll  match  thee 
for  this  ;"  and  "  so  I  did,"  he  used  to  add  ;  *'  for  I  had  not  ridden 
many  miles  before  I  came  to  a  revel,  where  there  was  a  show  of 
mountebanks,  which  I  entered,  and  just  as  they  were  commencing,  I 
jumped  into  the  midst  of  them  and  cried  out,  "  Let  us  pray,"  which 
so  thunderstruck  them  that  they  listened  to  me  quietly,  while  I 
preached  to  them  a  most  tremendous  seimon,  that  frightened 
many  of  them  home."  Mr.  Rowland  Hill  greatly  delighted  in  this 
anecdote,  and  often  said  that  amidst  somewhat  similar  scenes  he  had 
been  enabled  successfully  to  attack  the  kingdom  of  Satan. 

Reverence  in  Sacred  Things. — Dr.  Stonehouse  is  said  to 
have  become  one  of  the  most  elegant  preachers  of  the  kingdom,  and 
for  the  grace  of  propriety  perhaps  he  was  mainly  indebted  to  Gar- 
rick,  whose  famous  criticism  will  bear  repeating. 

Being  once  engaged  to  read  prayers  and  preach  at  a  church  in 
London,  he  prevailed  upon  Garrick  to  go  with  him.  After  the  ser- 
vice, the  actor  asked  the  preacher  what  particular  business  he  had 
to  do  when  the  duty  was  over. 

"  None,"  said  the  other. 

*'  I  thought  you  had,"  said  Garrick,  "  on  seeing  you  enter  the 
reading-desk  in  such  a  hurry.  Nothing  can  be  more  indecent  than 
to  see  a  clergyman  set  about  sacred  business  as  if  he  were  a  trades- 
man, and  go  into  church  as  if  he  wanted  to  get  out  of  it  as  soon 
as  possible."  He  next  asked  the  doctor  what  books  he  had  before 
him. 

"Only  the  Bible  and  Prayer-book." 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  337 

*^  Only  the  Bible  and  Prayer-book?"  replied  the  player  ;  "why, 
you  tossed  them  backwards  and  forwards,  and  turned  the  leaves  as 
carelessly,  as  if  they  were  those  of  a  daybook  and  ledger." 

The  doctor  acknowledged  the  force  of  the  criticism  by  henceforth 
avoiding  the  faults  it  was  designed  to  correct. 

The  Little  Girl  and  her  joyful  News. — Who  can  tell 
the  results  of  a  single  sermon,  or  trace  the  consequences  of  one  con- 
version ?  When  Mr.  Whitefield  was  preaching  in  New  England,  a 
lady  became  the  subject  of  divine  grace,  and  her  spirit  was  peculiarly 
drawn  out  in  prayer  for  others.  But  in  her  Christian  exercises  she 
was  alone  ;  she  could  persuade  no  one  to  pray  with  her  but  her  little 
daughter,  about  ten  years  of  age.  She  took  this  dear  child  into  her 
closet  from  day  to  day,  as  a  witness  of  her  cries  and  tears.  After 
a  time,  it  pleased  God  to  touch  the  heart  of  the  child,  and  to  give 
her  the  hope  of  salvation  by  the  remission  of  sin.  In  a  transport  of 
holy  joy  she  then  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  mother,  if  all  the  world  knew 
this  1  I  wish  I  could  tell  everybody.  Pray,  mother,  let  me  run  to 
some  of  the  neighbors  and  tell  them  that  they  may  be  happy  and 
love  my  Saviour  too."  "Ah,  my  dear  child,"  said  the  mother,  "  that 
would  be  useless,  for  I  suppose  that  were  you  to  tell  your  experi- 
ence, there  is  not  one  within  many  miles  who  would  not  laugh  at 
you,  and  say  it  was  all  delusion."  "  Oh,  mother,"  replied  thft  dear 
girl,  "  I  think  they  would  believe  me.  I  must  go  over  to  the  shoe- 
maker and  tell  him  ;  he  will  believe  me."  She  ran  over,  and  found 
him  at  work  in  his  shop.  She  began  by  telling  him  that  he  must 
die,  and  that  he  was  a  sinner,  and  that  she  was  a  sinner,  but  that 
her  blessed  Saviour  had  heard  her  mother's  prayers,  and  had  forgiven 
all  her  sins  ;  and  that  now  she  was  so  happy  that  she  did  not  know 
how  to  tell  it.  The  shoemaker  was  struck  with  surprise  :  his  tears 
flowed  down  like  rain  ;  he  threw  aside  his  work,  and  by  prayer  and 
supplication  sought  for  mercy.  The  neighborhood  were  awakened, 
and  within  a  few  months  more  than  fifty  persons  were  brought  to 
the  knowledge  of  Jesus,  and  rejoiced  in  his  power  and  grace. 

"  Strike,  but  Hear." — It  is  related  of  the  Rev.  Howel  Harris, 
fi  distinguished  Welsh  evangelist  in  the  time  of  Whitefield,  that  oq 

15 


338  REMARKABLE   CONVERSIONS 

one  excursion  he  did  not  take  off  his  clothes  for  seven  days  and 
nights,  being  obliged  to  meet  his  little  congregation  in  solitary  places 
at  midnight,  or  by  daylight  in  ravine  or  cleft,  in  order  to  avoid  the 
persecuting  vigilance  of  their  enemies.  "  One  man,"  says  Harris, 
"  was  obliged  to  pay  Sir  Watkins  Wynn  twenty  shillings,  several  of 
my  poor  hearers  five  shillings,  and  one  who  paid  the  same  sum  be- 
fore, was  fined  seven  shillings  more  ;  and  this  is  the  third  time  my 
poor  sheep  of  this  fold  have  been  thus  served." 

Honorable  exceptions,  however,  were  there  among  the  Welsh  ma- 
gistrates. Harris  having  made  an  appointment  to  meet  the  peas- 
antry near  Garth,  in  Breconshire,  the  residence  of  Sir  Marmaduke 
Gwynne,  that  gentleman,  frightened  by  the  reports  concerning  him, 
resolved  on  the  occasion  to  do  his  duty  as  a  magistrate,  and  stop 
proceedings  of  so  disorderly  and  mobbish  a  character.  Eegarding 
the  missionary  as  neither  more  nor  less  than  a  firebrand  to  church 
and  state,  Mr.  Magistrate  Gwynne  prepared  for  a  resolute  attack, 
but  wisely  enough  said  to  his  family  on  going  out,  "  I'll  first  hmr 
the  man  myself,  before  I  commit  him."  Accordingly  he  mingled 
with  the  congregation,  lying  in  wait  to  pounce  upon  the  preacher  at 
every  next  word.  "  Why,  he's  neither  more  nor  less  than  an  apos- 
tle," cried  Gwynne  inwardly,  his  stout  heart  melting  under  the  man- 
ner and  earnest  language  of  the  man  of  God.  The  riot  act  lay 
asleep  in  his  pocket,  and  at  the  end  of  the  discourse  he  marched  up 
to  the  rude  platform,  shook  the  preacher  warmly  by  the  hand,  con- 
fessed his  intention,  asked  his  pardon,  bade  him  preach  while  he 
lived,  and  took  him  back  to  Garth  to  supper.  Henceforth  the  coun- 
tenance of  the  Gwynne  family  smiled  on  the  new  movements.  Ke- 
gardless  of  pubhc  or  private  censure.  Sir  Marmaduke  stood  stoutly 
up  for  the  evangelists,  and  used  all  his  influence  for  promoting  the 
spread  of  the  gospel  in  the  regions  round  about.  One  of  his  daugh- 
ters afterwards  married  Charles  Wesley. 

The  Indian  Conjurer. — The  following  instance  is  extracted 
from  the  diary  of  David  Brainerd  :  "  This  day  received  into  com- 
munion the  conjurer,  murderer,  etc.,  mentioned  in  my  diary  of  August 
8,  1145,  and  February  1,  1746,  who  appears  to  be  such  a  remark- 
able instance  of  divine  grace  that  I  cannot  omit  to  give  some  brief 


AND  REVIVAL  INCIDENTS.  339 

account  of  him  here.  He  lived  near,  and  sometimes  attended  my 
meeting  at  the  Forks  of  Delaware,  for  more  than  a  year  ;  but  was, 
like  many  others  of  them,  extremely  attached  to  strong  drink,  and 
seemed  to  be  in  no  degree  reformed  by  the  means  which  I  used  with 
them  for  their  instruction  and  conversion.  At  this  time  he  likewise 
murdered  a  likely  young  Indian,  which  threw  him  into  some  kind  of 
horror  and  desperation,  so  that  he  kept  at  a  distance  from  me,  and 
refused  to  hear  me  preach  for  several  months  together,  until  I  had  an 
opportunity  of  conversing  freely  with  him,  and  giving  him  encourage- 
ment that  his  sins  might  be  forgiven,  for  Christ's  sake.  After  this 
he  again  attended  my  meetings  sometimes. 

"  The  first  genuine  concern  for  his  soul  was  excited  by  seeing  my 
interpreter  and  his  wife  publicly  profess  Christ,  at  the  Forks  of 
Delaware,  July  21,  1745  ;  which  so  prevailed  upon  him,  that  with 
the  invitation  of  an  Indian  who  was  a  friend  to  Christianity,  he  fol- 
lowed me  down  to  Cross weeksuug,  in  the  beginning  of  August,  in 
order  to  bear  me  preach  ;  and  there  continued  for  several  weeks  in 
the  season  of  the  most  remarkable  and  powerful  awakening  among 
the  Indians  :  at  which  time  he  was  more  effectually  awakened,  and 
brought  under  great  concern  for  his  soul.  He  continued  constantly 
under  the  heavy  burden  and  pressure  of  a  wounded  spirit,  until  at 
length  he  was  brought  into  acute  anguish  and  utmost  agony  of  soul, 
which  continued  that  night  and  part  of  the  next  day.  After  this  he 
was  brought  to  the  utmost  calmness  and  composure  of  mind  ;  his 
trembling  and  heavy  burden  were  removed  ;  and  he  appeared  per- 
fectly sedate,  although  he  had  to  his  apprehensions  scarcely  any  hope 
of  salvation. 

"  I  observed  him  to  appear  remarkably  composed  ;  and  therefore 
asked  him  how  he  did.  He  replied,  '  It  is  done,  it  is  done,  it  is  all 
done  now.'  I  asked  him  what  he  meant.  He  answered,  '  I  can 
never  do  any  more  to  save  myself  ;  it  is  all  done  for  ever.  I  can  do 
no  more.'  I  queried  with  him,  whether  he  could  not  do  a  little  more, 
rather  than  go  to  hell.  He  replied,  '  my  heart  is  dead.  I  never  can 
help  myself.'  I  asked  what  be  thought  would  become  of  him  then.  He 
answered,  '  I  must  go  to  hell.'  I  asked  him  if  he  thought  it  was 
right  that  God  should  send  him  to  hell.  He  replied,  '  Oh,  it  is  right. 
The  devil  has  been  in  me  ever  since  I  was  born.'     I  asked  him  if  he 


340  REMAKKABLE  CONVERSIONS 

felt  this  when  he  was  in  such  great  distress  the  evening  before.  He 
answered,  '  No  ;  I  did  not  then  think  it  was  right.  I  thought  God 
would  send  me  to  hell,  and  that  I  was  then  dropping  into  it  ;  but 
my  heart  quarrelled  with  God,  and  would  not  say  it  was  right  he 
should  send  me  there.  But  now  I  know  it  is  right  ;  for  I  have 
always  served  the  devil  ;  and  my  heart  has  no  goodness  in  it  now, 
but  it  is  as  bad  as  ever  it  was,'  etc.  I  thought  I  had  scarcely  ever 
seen  any  person  more  effectually  brought  off  from  a  dependence  upon 
his  own  contrivances  and  endeavors  for  salvation,  or  more  apparently 
to  lie  at  the  foot  of  sovereign  mercy,  than  this  man  did  under  these 
views  of  things. 

"  In  this  frame  of  mind  he  continued  for  several  days,  passing  sen- 
tence of  condemnation  upon  himself,  and  constantly  owning  that  it 
would  be  right  he  should  be  damned,  and  that  he  expected  this 
would  be  his  portion  for  the  greatness  of  his  sins.  Yet  it  was  plain 
that  he  had  a  secret  hope  of  mercy,  though  imperceptible  to  him- 
self, which  kept  him  not  only  from  despair,  but  from  any  pressing 
distress  :  so  that,  instead  of  being  sad  and  dejected,  his  very  coun- 
tenance appeared  pleasant  and  agreeable. 

"  It  was  remarkable,  that  he  seemed  to  have  a  great  love  for  the 
people  of  God  ;  and  nothing  affected  him  so  much  as  the  thought  of 
being  separated  from  them.  This  seemed  to  be  a  very  dreadful  part 
of  the  hell  to  which  he  saw  himself  doomed.  It  was  likewise 
remarkable,  that  in  this  season  he  was  most  diligent  in  the  use  of 
all  the  means  for  the  soul's  salvation  ;  although  he  had  the  clearest 
view  of  the  inefficiency  of  means  to  afford  him  help. 

"  After  he  had  continued  in  this  frame  of  mind  more  than  a  week, 
while  I  was  discoursing  publicly,  he  seemed  to  have  a  lively  soul- 
refreshing  view  of  the  excellency  of  Christ  and  the  way  of  salvation 
by  him,  which  melted  him  into  tears,  and  filled  him  with  admiration, 
comfort,  satisfaction,  and  praise  to  God.  Since  then  he  has  ap- 
peared to  be  a  bumble,  devout,  and  affectionate  Christian  ;  serious 
and  exemplary  in  his  conversation  and  behavior,  frequently  com- 
plaining of  his  barrenness,  his  want  of  spiritual  warmth,  life  and 
activity,  and  yet  frequently  favored  with  quickening  and  refreshing 
influences.  In  all  respects,  so  far  as  I  am  capable  of  judging,  he 
bears  the  marks  of  one  '  created  anew  in  Christ  Jesus  to  good  works.' 


REVIVAL    INCIDENTS. 


Traits    and    Anecdotes   of  Whitefield. 

"  No  preacher  whose  history  is  on  record,  has  trod  so  wide  a  field 
as  did  Whitefield,  or  has  retrod  it  so  often,  or  has  repeated  himself 
so  much,  or  has  carried  so  far  the  experiment  of  exhausting  himself, 
and  of  spending  his  popularity,  if  it  could  have  been  spent,  but  it 
never  was  spent.  Within  the  compass  of  a  few  weeks  he  might 
have  been  heard  addressing  the  negroes  of  the  Bermuda  islands, 
adapting  himself  to  their  infantile  understandings,  and  to  their 
debauched  hearts  ;  and  then  at  Chelsea,  with  the  aristocracy  of 
rank  and  wit  before  him,  approving  himself  to  listeners  such  as  the 
lords  Bolingbroke  and  Chesterfield.  Whitefield  might  as  easily 
have  produced  a  Hamlet  or  a  Paradise  Lost,  as  have  excogitated  a 
sermon  which,  as  a  composition,  a  product  of  thought,  would  have 
tempted  men  like  these  to  hear  him  a  second  time  ;  and  as  to  his 
faculty  and  graces  as  a  speaker,  his  elocution  and  action,  a  second 
performance  would  have  contented  them.  But  in  fact  Bolingbroke, 
and  many  of  his  class,  thought  not  the  hour  long,  time  after  time, 
while,  with  much  sameness  of  material  and  of  language,  he  spoke  of 
eternity  and  of  salvation  in  Christ.  .  .  .  Floods  of  tears  moistened 
cheeks  rough  and  smooth  ;  and  sighs,  suppressed  or  loudly  uttered, 
gave  evidence  that  human  nature  is  one  and  the  same  when  it  comes 
in  presence  of  truths  which  bear  upon  the  guilty  and  the  immortal 
without  distinction."  Indeed,  so  simple  was  his  nature,  that  glory 
to  God  and  good  will  to  man  had  filled  it  ;  there  was  room  for  little 
more.  Having  no  church  to  found,  no  family  to  enrich,  and  no 
memory  to  immortalize,  he  was  simply  the  ambassador  of  God;  and 

&11 


342  REVIVAL  INCroENTS. 

inspired  with  its  genial  piteous  spirit — so  full  o^  Heaven  reconciled 
and  humanity  restored — he  soon  himself  became  a  living  gospel. 
Coming  to  his  pulpit  direct  from  communion  with  his  Master,  and 
in  the  strength  of  accepted  prayer,  there  was  an  elevation  in  his 
mien  which  often  paralyzed  hostility,  and  a  self-possession  which 
made  him  amid  uproar  and  confusion  the  more  sublime.  With 
an  electric  bolt  he  would  bring  the  jester  in  his  fool's  cap  from  his 
perch  ou  the  tree,  or  galvanize  the  brickbat  from  the  skulking  mis- 
creant's grasp,  or  sweep  down  in  crouching  submission  and  shame- 
faced silence  the  whole  of  Bartholomew  fair  ;  while  a  revealing  flash 
of  sententious  doctrine,  of  vivified  Scripture,  would  disclose  to  awe- 
struck hundreds  the  forgotten  verities  of  another  world,  or  the 
unsuspected  arcana  of  their  inner  man.  "  I  came  to  break  your 
head,  but,  through  you,  God  has  broken  my  heart,"  was  a  sort  of 
confession  with  which  he  was  familiar  ;  and  to  see  the  deaf  old 
gentlewoman  who  used  to  mutter  imprecations  at  him  as  he  passed 
along  the  streets,  clambering  up  the  pulpit  stairs  to  catch  his 
angelic  words,  was  a  sort  of  spectacle  which  the  triumphant  gospel 
often  witnessed  in  his  day.  Whitefield  was  remarkable  for  a  devo- 
tional spirit.  Probably  no  man  ever  lived  nearer  to  God.  Had  he 
been  less  prayerful,  he  would  have  been  less  powerful.  When  he 
came  before  his  auditors,  he  looked  like  one  whcT  had  been  with  God« 
This  it  was  which  won  for  him  the  title  of  seraphic — he  was  a 
human  seraph,  and  burnt  out  in  the  blaze  of  his  own  fire.  Usually 
for  an  hour  or  two  before  he  went  into  the  pulpit,  he  claimed  retire- 
ment. In  this  claim  he  was  imperative,  and  would  not  be  inter- 
rupted in  his  seasons  of  hallowed  intercourse  with  God. 

On  one  occasion,  when  a  young  minister,  afterwards  exceedingly 
popular  and  useful,  was  visiting  him,  he  was  sent  for  to  visit  a  poor 
woman  who  had  been  so  dreadfully  burnt  that  she  could  not  survive 
many  hours.  He  went  immediately,  and  prayed  with  her.  He  had 
no  sooner  returned,  than  she  called  out,  "  Oh  !  where  is  Mr.  White- 
field  ?"  Urged  by  her  entreaty,  her  friends  requested  him  to  visit 
her  a  second  time.  He  complied,  and  again  prayed  with  her.  The 
poor  afilicted  woman  continued  still  to  desire  his  presence.  When 
her  friends  came  for  him  a  third  time,  "  I  begged  of  him,"  said  the 
young  clergyman,  *'  not  to  go  ;  for  he  could  scarcely  expect  to  do 


REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  343 

any  good.  '  Yout  nerves  are  too  weak,  your  feelings  are  too  acute 
to  endure  such  scenes.'  I  shall  never  forget  his  mild  reproof: 
'  Leave  me  ;  my  Master  can  save  to  the  uttermost,  to  the  very  utter- 
most.^ " 

While  he  was  always  ready  to  receive  reproof,  he  was  when 
called  to  th€  duty,  ready  to  give  it,  and  often  in  a  way  which  his 
friends  did  not  expect.  A  censorious  professor  of  religion,  knowing 
the  doctrinal  differences  between  the  two  men,  asked  Whitefield  if 
he  thought  they  would  see  Mr.  John  Wesley  in  heaven.  His  answer 
was  truly  admirable  :  '*  No,  sir,  I  fear  not  ;  for  he  will  be  so  near 
the  throne,  and  we  shall  be  at  such  a  distance,  we  shall  hardly  get 
sight  of  him." 

It  is  said,  that  when  he  was  once  travelling  in  company  with  a 
Christian  man,  they  had  occasion  to  stay  for  a  night  at  a  road-side 
tavern.  After  they  had  retired,  they  were  greatly  annoyed  by  a 
company  of  gamblers,  who  were  in  an  adjoining  room.  Whitefield 
could  not  rest,  and  told  his  friend  that  he  would  go  into  the 
room  and  reprove  them  for  their  conduct.  The  other  remon- 
strated against  his  doing  so,  but  in  vain.  He  went ;  and  unhap- 
pily, his  words  fell  apparently  powerless  upon  them.  Return- 
ing, he  laid  down  to  sleep.  "  What,"  asked  his  companion,  "  did 
you  gain  by  your  trouble  ?"  Whitefield  characteristically  answered, 
^'  A  soft  pillow." 


In  his  intercourse  with  general  society,  Mr.  Whitefield  never  for- 
got his  dignity  as  a  servant  of  Jesus  Ohrist.  When  he  was  in  the 
zenith  of  his  popularity.  Lord  Clare,  who  knew  that  his  influence 
was  considerable,  applied  to  him  by  letter,  requesting  his  influence 
at  Bristol  at  the  ensuing  general  election.  To  this  request  Mr. 
Whitefield  replied,  that  in  "  general "  elections  he  never  interfered  ; 
but  he  would  earnestly  exhort  his  lordship  to  use  great  diligence  to 
make  his  own  particular  "  calling  and  election  sure." 


Mr.  Whitefield  was  greatly  distinguished,  even  from  early  life, 
for  neatness  in  his  person,  order  in  his  apartments,  and  regular 
method  in  the  management  of  all  his  affairs.  He  was  accustomed 
to  say  that  a  minister  should  be  "  without  a  spot ;"  and  on  one 


344  REVIVAL    INCroENTS. 

occasion  remarked,  that  he  could  not  feel  comfortable  if  he  knew 
that  his  gloves  were  out  of  their  proper  place. 

On  one  occasion,  as  Mr.  Whitefield  was  preaching  in  Boston,  a 
violent  storm  of  thunder  and  lightning  came  on.  In  the  midst  of 
the  sermon  it  attained  so  alarming  a  height  that  the  congregation 
sat  in  almost  breathless  awe.  The  preacher  closed  his  note-book, 
and  stepping  into  one  of  the  wings  of  the  desk,  fell  on  his  knees,  and 
with  much  feeling  and  fine  taste  repeated  : 

"  Hark,  the  Eternal  rends  the  sky ! 
A  mighty  voice  before  him  goes — 
A  voice  of  music  to  his  friends, 
But  threatening  thunder  to  his  foes  : 
'  Come,  children,  to  your  Father's  arms  ; 
Hide  in  the  chambers  of  my  grace, 
Till  the  fierce  storm  be  overblown, 
And  my  revenging  fury  cease.' — 

"  Let  us  devoutly  sing  to  the  praise  and  glory  of  God  this  hymn, 
Old  Hundred." 

The  whole  congregation  instantly  rose,  and  poured  forth  the  sa- 
cred song,  in  which  they  were  accompanied  by  the  organ,  in  a  style 
of  simple  grandeur  and  heartfelt  devotion  that  was  probably  never 
surpassed.  By  the  time  the  hymn  was  finished  the  storm  was 
hushed.  The  remainder  of  the  services  were  well  adapted  to  sustain 
the  elevated  feeling  which  had  been  produced  ;  and  the  benediction 
with  which  the  good  man  dismissed  the  flock  was  universally  re- 
ceived with  streaming  eyes,  and  hearts  overflowing  with  tenderness 
and  gratitude. 

It  is  said  that  Whitefield  would  sometimes  rise  in  the  sacred  desk, 
and  for  a  minute  or  two  looking  in  silence  around  his  vast  audience, 
as  if  salvation  or  perdition  teemed  in  every  cast  of  his  eye,  would 
burst  into  tears,  while  the  swift  contagion,  before  he  uttered  a 
word,  had  reached  every  heart  that  could  feel,  and  dimmed  every 
eye  that  could  weep. 


No  doubt  there  was  a  connection  between  the  tears  of  Whitefield 
\     and  his  piety  ;  but  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  he  was  always  "  the 


REVIVAL  INCroENTS.  345 

weeping  prophet  ;"  he  could  smile  as  well  as  weep.  A  venerable 
lady  in  New  York,  known  to  some  yet  living,  speaking  of  the  in- 
fluence which  first  won  her  heart  to  God,  said  that  "  Mr.  Whitefield 
was  so  cheerful  that  it  tempted  her  to  he  a  Christian." 


His  voice,  accompanied  by  his  look  from  crossed  eyes,  and  pro- 
ceeding from  a  man  of  his  robust  frame,  produced  wonderful  effects. 
It  is  said  that  when  once  preaching  in  a  graveyard,  two  young  men 
conducted  themselves  improperly,  when  he  fixed  his  eyes  upon  them, 
and  with  a  voice  resembhng  thunder,  said,  "  Come  down,  ye 
rebels." 

They  instantly  fell,  neither  of  them  being  inclined  again  to  come 
into  contact  with  such  a  look,  or  to  hear  such  a  voice. 

He  was  once  preaching  to  a  vast  crowd  of  people  in  Southern 
Pennsylvania,  which  was  at  that  time  ignorant  and  uncivilized.  He 
was  incessantly  disturbed  by  their  noise,  and  twice  reproved  them 
with  great  severity.  At  length  he  was  so  overcome  by  their  noisy 
and  irreverent  conduct,  that  he  stopped  short,  dropped  his  head  into 
his  hands,  burst  into  a  flood  of  tears,  and  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  Lord 
God,  I  am  ashamed  that  these  people  are  provoking  thy  wrath,  and 
I  dare  not  reprove  them  a  third  time."  Such  was  the  effect  of  his 
conduct  and  feeling,  that  his  audience  became  perfectly  quiet,  and 
remained  so  till  the  end  of  his  discourse. 

The  late  Sir  George  Beaumont,  no  mean  authority  on  such  a  sub- 
ject, thus  familiarly  speaks  :  "  Oh,  yes  ;  I  heard  that  young  gentle- 
man this  morning  allude  to  '  roaring  Whitefield,'  and  was  amused 
at  his  mistake.  It  is  a  common  one.  Whitefield  did  not  roar.  I 
have  been  his  auditor  more  tjian  once,  and  was  delighted  with  him. 
Whitefield's  voice  could  be  heard  at  an  immense  distance  ;  but  that 
was  owing  to  its  fullness,  roundness,  and  clearness.  It  was  a  per- 
fectly sound  voice.  It  is  an  odd  description,  but  I  can  hit  upon  no  bet- 
ter ;  there  was  neither  crack  nor  flaw.  To  describe  him  as  a 
bellowing,  roaring  field  preacher,  is  to  describe  a  mountebank,  not 
Whitefield.  He  had  powers  of  pathos  of  the  highest  order.  The 
tender,  soft,  persuasive  tones  of  his  voice  were  melodious  m  the  ex- 
treme.    And  when  he  desu-ed  to  win,  or  persuade,  or  plead,  or 

15* 


346  REVIVAL   INCIDENTS. 

soothe,  the  gush  of  feeling  which  his  voice  conveyed  at  once  sur 
prised  and  overpowered  you." 

From  a  memorandum  in  which  Mr.  Whitefield  recorded  the  times 
and  places  of  his  ministerial  labors,  it  appears  that  from  the  period  of 
his  ordination  to  that  of  his  death,  which  was  thirty-four  years,  he 
preached  u^^wards  of  eighteen  thousand  sermons.  It  would  be  difficult 
to  imagine  how  many  thousand  miles  he  travelled.  When  he  ascer- 
tained that  his  physical  powers  began  to  fail,  putting  himself  on 
what  he  called  "  short  allowance,"  he  preached  only  once  on  every 
week-day,  and  three  times  on  the  Sabbath.  In  view  of  his  various 
journeyings  in  the  slow  and  inconvenient  modes  of  travelling  then  in 
use,  his  thirteen  voyages  across  the  Atlantic,  and  all  that  he  accom- 
plished, it  appears  that  few  men  ever  performed  so  much  labor  withm 
the  same  period. 


On  one  occasion,  he  was  seized  with  inflammatory  sore  throat, 
that  was  followed  by  quhisy,  assuming  an  almost  fatal  aspect.  One 
physician  prescribed  silence  and  warmth,  and  the  preacher  "  prom- 
ised to  be  very  obedient,"  but  a  few  days  afterwards,  another  re- 
commended a  perpetual  blister  :  this  proposal  roused  him,  and  he 
determined  to  try  his  own  remedy — perpetual  preaching.  The 
remedy  itself  was  painful,  but  he  said,  "  When  this  grand  catholicon 
fails,  it  is  all  over  with  me." 

When  he  was  brought  to  live  on  the  "  short  allowance  of  preach- 
ing but  once  a  day,  and  thrice  on  Sunday,"  he  broke  through  the 
restraint,  and  preached  three  times,  which,  he  says,  "somewhat 
recovered  "  him,  after  he  had  been  for  a  week  at  the  gates  of  the 
grave. 

In  a  letter  to  Hervey,  he  says,  "  Fear  not  your  weak  body,  we 
are  immortal  till  our  work  is  done.  Christ's  laborers  must  live  by 
miracle  ;  if  not,  I  must  not  live  at  all,  for  G-od  only  knows  what  I 
daily  endure.  My  continual  vomitings  almost  kill  me,  and  yet  the 
pulpit  is  my  cure  ;  so  that  my  friends  begin  to  pity  me  less,  and 
leave  off  that  ungrateful  caution,  '  Spare  thyself  I  speak  this  to 
encourage  you." 

He  preached  once  at  Portsmouth,  Me.,  when  apparently  at  the 
point  of  death.     On  that  day,  as  he  wrote,  "  My  pains  returned; 


REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  347 

but  what  gave  me  most  concern  was,  that  notice  had  been  given  of 
my  being  engaged  to  preach.  I  felt  a  divine  life,  distinct  from  my 
animal  life,  which  made  me,  as  it  were,  laugh  at  my  pains,  though 
every  one  thought  I  was  taken  with  death.  My  dear  York  physi- 
cian was  then  about  to  administer  a  medicine.  I  on  a  sudden  cried 
out,  'Doctor,  my  pains  are  suspended;  by  the  help  of  God  I  will 
go  and  preach,  and  then  come  home  and  die.'  With  some  difficulty 
I  reached  the  pulpit.  All  looked  quite  surprised,  as  though  tliey 
saw  one  risen  from  the  dead,  I  indeed  was  as  pale  as  death,  and  told 
them  they  must  look  upon  me  as  a  dying  man,  come  to  bear  my 
dying  testimony  to  the  truths  I  had  formerly  preached  to  them. 
All  seemed  melted,  and  were  drowned  in  tears.  The  cry  after  me, 
when  I  left  the  pulpit,  was  like  the  cry  of  sincere  mourners  when 
attending  the  funeral  of  a  dear  departed  friend.  Upon  my  coming 
home,  I  was  laid  upon  a  bed  on  the  ground,  near  the  fire,  and  I 
heard  them  say,  *  He  is  gone.'  But  God  was  pleased  to  order  it 
otherwise.     I  gradually  recovered." 

In  another  account,  he  himself  says  :  "  In  my  own  apprehension, 
and  in  all  appearance  to  others,  I  was  a  dying  man.  I  preached — 
the  people  heard  me — as  such.  Expecting  to  launch  into  eternity, 
and  to  be  with  my  Master  before  the  morning,  I  spoke  with  peculiar 
energy.  Such  effects  followed  the  word,  I  thought  it  was  worth 
dying  for  a  thousand  times.     Though  wonderfully  comforted  within 

at  my  return  home,  I  thought  I  was  dying  indeed Soon 

after,  a  poor  negro  woman  would  see  me.  She  came,  sat  down 
upon  the  ground,  and  looked  earnestly  in  my  face,  and  then  said, 
'  Massa,  you  just  go  to  heaven's  gate,  but  Jesus  Christ  said,  Get 
you  down,  get  you  down;  you  must  not  come  here  yet;  but  go  first, 
and  call  some  more  poor  negroes.'  I  prayed  to  the  Lord,  that,  if  I 
was  to  live,  this  might  be  the  event." 

Before  his  last  sermon  some  one  said  to  him  :  "  Sir,  you  are  more 
fit  to  go  to  bed  than  to  preach."  Whitefield's  reply  was  :  "  True, 
sir;"  but,  turning  aside,  he  clasped  his  hands  together,  and  looking 
up,  said  :  "  Lord  Jesus,  I  am  weary  in  thy  work,  but  not  of  thy 
wojk.  If  I  have  not  yet  finished  my  course,  let  me  go  and  speak 
for  thee  once  more  in  the  fields,  seal  thy  truth,  and  come  home  and 
die."     When  he  was  retiring  to  his  chamber  on  this  last  evening  of 


348 


REVIVAL   INCIDENTS. 


his  life,  many  were  so  desirous  to  see  and  hear  him,  that  he  stood 
on  the  stairs  with  a  lamp  in  his  hand,  and  there  gave  them  a  tender 
spiritual  address. 

Three  hours  before  his  death,  he  said  :  "  I  cannot  breathe;  buy  I 
hope  I  shall  be  better  by  and  by;  a  good  pulpit  sweat  to-day  may 
give  me  relief ;  I  shall  be  better  after  preaching."  Mr.  Smith  said 
to  him  :  "  I  wish  you  would  not  preach  so  often."  He  replied  :  "I 
had  rather  wear  out  than  rust  out."  Mr.  Smith  said  he  was  afraid 
he  took  cold  in  preaching  yesterday.  He  said  he  believed  he  had ; 
and  then  sat  up  in  bed,  and  prayed  that  God  would  be  pleased  to 
bless  his  preaching  where  he  had  been,  and  also  bless  his  preaching 
that  day,  that  more  souls  might  be  brought  to  Christ. 

It  will  be  observed  from  the  above  extracts,  that  some  of  the 
"  household  words "  of  the  Christian  world,  are  the  words  of 
Whitefield. 


As  a  proof  the  power  of  Mr.  Whitefield's  preaching,  Mr.  Newton 
said,  that  a  military  officer  at  Glasgow,  who  had  heard  him  preach, 
laid  a  wager  with  another,  that  at  a  certain  charity  sermon,  though 
he  went  with  prejudice,  he  would  be  compelled  to  give  something. 
The  other,  to  make  sure  that  he  would  not,  laid  aside  all  the  money 
out  of  his  pockets;  but  before  he  left  the  church,  he  was  glad  to 
borrow  some,  and  lose  his  bet." 


"  A  very  peculiar  providence,"  says  Whitefield,  "  led  me  very  lately 
to  a  place  where  a  horse-stealer  was  executed.  Thousands  attended. 
The  poor  criminal  had  sent  me  several  letters,  hearing  I  was  in  the 
country.  The  sheriff  allowed  him  to  come  and  hear  a  sermon  under 
an  adjacent  tree.  Solemn,  solemn  !  After  being  by  himself  about 
an  hour,  I  walked  half  a  mile  with  him  to  the  gallows.  His  heart 
liad  been  softened  before  my  first  visit.  He  seemed  full  of  solid, 
divine  consolation.  An  instructive  walk  !  I  went  up  with  him  into 
the  cart.  He  gave  a  short  exhortation.  I  then  stood  upon  the 
coffin — added,  I  trust,  a  word  in  season — prayed — gave  the  blessing, 
and  took  my  leave.  Effectual  good,  I  hope,  was  done  to  the  hearers 
and  spectators.     Grace,  grace  I" 


AND  REVIVAL  INCIDENTS.  349 

Benjamin  Randall  was  born  in  Newcastle,  New  Hampshire,  in 
1U9.  In  his  twenty-second  year  he  was  brought  under  the  minis- 
try of  Whitefield,  by  which  means  he  became  deeply  convinced  of 
sin,  and  was  soon  after  converted  to  God.  He  is  considered  the 
founder  of  the  denomination  of  Freewill  Baptists,  which  now  com- 
prises from  eleven  to  twelve  hundred  churches,  more  than  a  thousand 
pastors  and  licentiates,  and  upwards  of  fifty  thousand  communi- 
cants. 


On  one  of  his  visits  to  Bristol,  he  began  a  series  of  sermons  on 
the  evening  before  the  commencement  of  the  fair.  His  text  was  : 
"  Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the  waters;  and  he  that 
hath  no  money,  come  ye,  buy  and  eat;  yea,  come  buy  wine  and  milk 
without  money,  and  without  price."  Isa.  Iv.  1.  The  congrega- 
tion was  large,  and  thus  he  began  :  "My  dear  hearers,  I  fear  that 
many  of  you  are  come  to  attend  Bristol  fair.  So  am  I.  You  do 
not  mean  to  show  your  goods  until  to-morrow;  but  I  shall  exhibit 
mine  to-night.  You  are  afraid  purchasers  will  not  come  up  to  your 
price ;  but  I  am  afraid  my  buyers  will  not  come  down  to  mine ;  for 
mine,"  striking  his  hand  on  the  Bible,  "  are  '  without  money,  and 
without  price.' " 

He  tells  us,  among  many  similar  facts,  of  the  conversion  of  a  Mr. 
Crane,  who  was  afterwards  appointed  steward  of  the  orphan-house 
in  Georgia.  This  gentleman  had  one  evening  determined  to  visit 
the  theatre,  and  set  out  for  Drury-lane;  that  house  being  crowded, 
he  resolved  to  go  to  Coven t-garden;  that  also  being  so  full  that  he 
could  not  obtain  admittance,  he  changed  his  plan,  and  resolved  on 
being  entertained  with  one  of  AVhitefield's  sermons,  and  hastened 
to  Tottenham  Court-road  chapel.  It  pleased  God  to  impress  the 
word  on  his  heart,  and  he  became  an  eminent  Christian.  So 
truly  is  the  prediction  verified  :  "I  am  found  of  them  who  sought 
me  not." 

Among  his  congregation  one  day  was  a  young  man  named  Tup- 
pen,  about  eighteen  years  of  age.  He  had  been  educated  by  a  pious 
mother  in  the  strict  observance  of  the  external  parts  of  rehgion,  but 
was  entirely  destitute  of  its  power.     He  attended  not  so  much  from 


350  REMARKA.BLE  CONVERSIONS 

curiosity,  as  from  the  intention  to  insult  and  interrupt  the  preacher. 
He  tells  us,  "I  had,  therefore,  provided  myself  with  stones  in  my 
pocket,  if  opportunity  offered,  to  pelt  the  preacher  ;  but  I  had  not 
heard  long,  before  the  stone  was  taken  out  of  my  heart  of  flesh  ; 
and  then  the  other  stones,  with  shame  and  weeping,  were  dropped 
one  by  one  out  upon  the  ground."  Mr.  Tuppen  became  an  excellent 
Christian  minister,  and  labored  as  a  pastor  for  some  years  in  Ports- 
mouth. He  then  removed  to  the  city  of  Bath,  where  he  originated 
a  congregation,  and  built  a  house  for  public  worship.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded in  this  important  sphere  by  the  late  distinguished  William 
Jay,  who  labored  there  for  about  sixty-four  years. 


Towards  the  close  of  one  of  his  discourses,  after  a  solemn  pause,  Mr. 
Whitefield  thus  addressed  his  numerous  audience  :  ''  The  attendant 
angel  is  just  about  to  leave  the  threshold,  and  ascend  to  heaven . 
And  shall  he  ascend,  and  not  bear  with  him  the  news  of  one  sinner, 
among  all  this  multitude,  reclaimed  from  the  error  of  his  ways  ?" 

With  this  exclamation,  he  stamped  with  his  foot,  lifted  up  his  eyes 
and  hands  to  heaven,  and  with  gushing  tears  cried  aloud,  "  Stop, 
Gabriel  I  stop,  Gabriel  !  stop,  ere  you  enter  the  sacred  portals,  and 
yet  carry  with  you  the  news  of  one  sinner  converted  to  God."  He 
then,  in  the  most  simple  and  energetic  language,  described  a 
Saviour's  dying  love  to  sinful  man,  so  that  almost  the  whole  assem- 
bly melted  into  tears. 


To  certain  of  his  admirers  in  Dublin,  he  wrote  :  "  This  morning  I 
have  been  talking  with  dear  Mr.  Adams,  and  cannot  help  thinking 
that  you  have  run  before  the  Lord,  in  forming  yourselves  into  a  pub- 
lic society  as  you  have  done.  I  am  sincere  when  I  jorofess  that  I 
do  not  choose  to  set  myself  at  the  head  of  any  party.  When  I  came 
to  Ireland,  my  intention  was  to  preach  the  gospel  to  all  ;  and  if  it 
should  please  the  Lord  of  all  lords  to  send  me  thither  again,  I  pur- 
pose iv  pursue  the  same  plan.  For  I  am  a  debtor  to  all  of  every 
denomination,  and  have  no  design,  if  I  know  anything  of  this  despe- 
rately wicked  and  deceitful  heart,  but  to  promote  the  common  sal- 
vation of  mankind.     The  love  of  Christ  constrains  me  to  this." 

After  preaching  in  Oxmantown  Green,  Dublin,  he  thought  to  return 


AND   REVIVAL   INCIDENTS.  351 

home  by  the  way  he  came,  but,  to  his  great  surprise,  a  passage 
through  the  barracks  was  denied  ;  and  he  was  compelled  to  pass 
from  one  end  of  the  green  to  the  other,  through  thousands  of  Ro- 
man Catholics.  He  was  unattended  ;  for  a  soldier  and  four  preach- 
ers who  came  with  him  had  fled  from  the  scene  of  danger,  and  he  was 
seriously  attacked  by  the  mob.  They  threw  volleys  of  stones  upon 
him  from  all  quarters,  and  he  reeled  backwards  and  forwards  till  he 
was  almost  breathless  and  covered  with  blood.  At  length,  with 
great  difficulty  he  staggered  to  the  door  of  a  minister's  house  near 
the  green,  which  was  kindly  opened  to  him.  For  a  while  he  con- 
tinued speechless,  and  panting  for  breath  ;  but  his  weeping  friends 
having  given  him  a  cordial,  and  washed  his  wounds,  a  coach  was 
procured,  in  which,  amidst  the  oaths,  imprecations,  and  threatenings, 
of  the  rabble,  he  got  safe  home,  and  united  in  a  hymn  of  thanks- 
giving with  his  friends.  In  a  letter  written  to  a  friend  soon  after 
this  event,  he  says,  "  I  received  many  blows  and  wounds  ;  one  was 
particularly  large,  and  near  my  temple  :  I  thought  of  Stephen,  and 
was  in  hopes,  like  him,  to  go  off  in  this  bloody  triumph,  to  the  imme- 
diate presence  of  my  Master." 

In  one  of  the  services  held  by  Mr.  Whitefield  in  Yorkshire,  a 
deep  solemnity  was  created  by  providential  circumstances.     He  had 
nioinited  the  temporary  scaffold  to  address  the  thousands  before  him. 
Casting  a  look  over  the  multitude,  he  elevated  his  hands,  and  in  an 
energetic  manner  implored  the  divine  presence  and  blessing.     With 
a  solemnity  peculiarly  his  own,  he  then  announced  his  text,  "  It  is 
appointed  unto   men   once  to  die,  but   after  this    the  judgment." 
Heb.  xi.  27.     After  a  short  pause,  as  he  was  about  to  proceed,  a 
wild,  terrifying  shriek  issued  from  the  centre  of  the  congregation. 
A  momentary  alarm  and  confusion  ensued.     Mr.  Whitefield  waited 
to  ascertain  the  cause,  and  requested  the  people  to  remain  still 
Mr.  Grimshaw  hurried  to  the  spot,  and  in  a  few  minutes  was  seen 
pressing  towards  the  place  where  Mr.  Whitefield  stood.     "  Brother 
Whitefield,"  said  he,  manifesting  in  the  strongest  manner  the  intensity 
of  his  feelings,  and  the  ardor  of  his  concern  for  the  salvation  of  sin- 
ners, "  you  stand  among  the  dead  and  the  dying.   An  immortal  soul 
has  been  called  into  eternity  ;  the  destroying  angel  is  passing  over 


352  REMARKABLE  CONVERSIONS 

the  congregation  ;  cry  aloud,  and  spare  not."  The  awful  occurrence 
was  speedily  announced  to  the  congregation.  After  the  lapse  of  a 
few  moments,  Mr.  Whitefield  again  announced  his  text.  Again  a 
loud  and  piercing  shriek  proceeded  from  the  spot  near  where  Lady 
Huntingdon  and  Lady  Margaret  Ingham  were  standing.  A  thrill 
of  horror  seemed  to  escape  from  the  multitude  when  it  was  under- 
stood that  a  second  person  had  fallen  a  victim  to  the  king  of  terrors. 
When  the  consternation  had  somewhat  subsided,  Mr.  Whitefield 
gave  indications  of  proceeding  with  the  service.  The  excited  feel- 
ings of  many  were  wound  up  to  their  highest  point.  All  was  hushed  ; 
not  a  sound  was  to  be  heard  ;  and  a  stillness  like  the  awful  silence 
of  death  spread  over  the  assembly,  as  he  proceeded  in  melting  strains 
to  warm  the  careless,  Christless  sinner,  to  "  flee  from  the  wrath  to 
come." 


Some  one,  we  believe  a  bishop,  complained  to  George  II.  of  the 
popularity  and  success  of  Whitefield,  and  entreated  his  majesty  in 
some  way  or  other  to  silence  him.  The  monarch,  thinking,  no  doubt, 
of  the  class  described  by  the  martyr  Latimer,  as  ''  unpreachir.g  pre- 
lates," replied  with  jocose  severity,  "  I  believe  the  best  way  will  be 
to  make  a  bishop  of  him." 


It  has  generally  happened  that  the  most  eficctive  public  speakers, 
whether  secular  or  sacred,  have  been  accused  by  a  fastidious  class, 
of  vulgarisms.  So  with  Cicero,  Burke,  and  Chatham  ;  so  with 
Patrick  Henry  and  Daniel  Webster  ;  and  to  turn  to  eminent  preach- 
ers, so  with  Luther,  Latimer,  and  Whitefield.  The  reason  was,  that 
intent  on  the  greatest  good  to  the  greatest  number,  they  used  what 
Dr.  Johnson,  after  Daniel  Burgess,  called  "  market  language."  Dr. 
William  Bates,  an  accomplished  and  courtly  non- conformist  minister, 
in  the  seventeenth  century,  once  complained  in  the  presence  of  his 
faithful  but  unpolished  friend  Daniel  Burgess,  that  he  found  very 
little  success  in  his  work  as  a  minister  ;  when  his  aged  brother 
smartly  replied,  "  Thank  your  velvet  mouth  for  that— too  fine  to 
speak  market  language." 


Among  the  crowds  in  Boston  was  a  somewhat  remarkable  gentle- 


AND  REVIVAL  INCIDENTS.  353 

man  of  that  city.  He  was  a  man  of  ready  wit  and  racy  hnmor,  who 
delighted  in  preaching  over  a  bottle  to  his  ungodly  companions.  He 
went  to  hear  Whitefield,  that  he  might  be  furnished  with  matter  for 
a  "  tavern  harangue."  When  he  had  heard  enough  of  the  sermon 
for  his  purpose,  he  endeavored  to  quit  the  church  for  the  inn,  but 
"  found  his  endeavors  to  get  out  fruitless,  he  was  so  pent  up."  While 
thus  fixed,  and  waiting  for  "  fresh  matter  of  ridicule,"  the  truth  took 
possession  of  his  heart.  That  night  he  went  to  Mr.  Prince  full  of 
terror,  and  sought  an  introduction  to  ask  pardon  of  the  preacher. 
Whitefield  says  of  him,  "  By  the  paleness,  pensiveness,  and  horror 
of  his  countenance,  I  guessed  he  was  the  man  of  whom  I  had  been 
apprised.  '  Sir,  can  you  forgive  me?'  he  cried  in  a  low,  but  plain- 
tive voice.  I  smiled,  and  said,  '  Yes,  sir,  very  readily.'  '  Indeed,' 
he  said,  '  you  cannot  when  I  tell  you  all.'  I  then  asked  him  to  sit 
down;  and  judging  that  he  had  sufficiently  felt  the  lash  of  the  law, 
I  preached  the  gospel  to  him." 


Among  other  converts  won  at  Norwich,  was  the  afterwards  pop- 
ular and  useful  minister  of  Christ,  the  Rev.  Robert  Robinson,  of 
Cambridge,  England.  When  he  was  walking  one  day  with  several 
companions  who  had  agreed  that  day  to  take  their  pleasure,  the  first 
object  which  attracted  their  attention  was  an  old  woman  who  pre- 
tended to  tell  fortunes.  Robinson  was  informed,  among  other  things, 
that  he  would  live  to  a  very  old  age,  and  see  his  children,  grandchil- 
dren, and  great-grandchildren  growing  up  around  him.  "  And  so," 
said  he  when  alone,  "  I  am  to  see  children,  grandchildren,  and  great- 
grandchildren. 1  will  then,"  thought  he,  "  during  my  youth,  en- 
deavor to  store  my  mind  with  all  kinds  of  knowledge.  I  will  see  and 
hear,  and  note  down  everything  that  is  rare  and  wonderful,  that  I 
may  sit,  when  incapable  of  other  employments,  and  entertain  my 
descendants.  Thus  shall  my  company  be  rendered  pleasant,  and  I 
shall  be  respected,  rather  than  neglected,  in  old  age.  Let  me  see, 
what  can  I  acquire  first  ?  Oh,  here  is  the  famous  Methodist  preacher, 
Whitefield ;  he  is  to  preach  here,  they  say,  to-night ;  I  will  go  and 
hear  him." 

From  these  strange  motives,  as  he  told  the  celebrated  Rev.  Andrew 
Fuller,  he  went  to  hear  Whitefield  preach.     That  evening  his  text 


354  REMAEKABLE  CONVERSIONS 

was,  "  But  when  he  saw  many  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadduefees  come 
to  his  Baptism,  he  said  unto  them,  0  generation  of  vipers,  who  hath 
warned  you  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come  ?  Matt.  iii.  t.  "  Mr. 
Whitefield,"  said  Robinson,  "  described  the  Sadducees'  character; 
this  did  not  touch  me;  I  thought  myself  as  good  a  Christian  as  any 
man  in  England:  .  From  this  he  went  to  that  of  the  Pharisees.  He 
described  their  exterior  decency,  but  observed,  that  the  poison  of  the 
viper  rankled  in  their  hearts.  This  rather  shook  me.  At  length, 
in  the  course  of  his  sermon,  he  abruptly  broke  off;  paused  for  a  few 
moments;  then  burst  into  a  flood  of  tears,  lifted  up  his  hands  and 
eyes,  and  exclaimed,  '  Oh,  my  hearers,  the  wrath  ^s  to  come !  the  wratKs 
to  comeP  These  words  sunk  into  my  heart  like  lead  in  the  water; 
I  wept,  and  when  the  sermon  was  ended  retired  alone.  For  days 
and  weeks  I  could  think  of  little  else.  Those  awful  words  would 
follow  me  wherever  I  went:  *  The  wrath's  to  comel  The  wrath 's  to 
come!"' 


At  Gloucester  lived  the  Rev.  Mr.  Cole,  an  old  dissenting  minister, 
whom  Whitefield,  when  a  boy,  had  been  taught  to  ridicule;  and  when 
he  was  once  asked  what  profession  he  would  engage  in,  replied,  "  I 
will  be  a  minister,  but  I  will  take  care  never  to  tell  stories  in  the 
pulpit  like  old  Cole."  Twelve  years  afterwards,  the  old  minister 
heard  the  young  one  preach,  and  tell  some  story  to  illustrate  his  sub- 
ject, when  the  venerable  servant  of  Christ  remarked,  ''I  find  young 
Whitefield  can  tell  stories  now  as  well  as  old  Cole."  The  good  man 
was  much  affected  with  the  preaching  of  his  young  friend,  and  was 
so  humble,  that  he  used  to  subscribe  himself  his  curate,  and  went 
about  in  the  country  preaching  after  him.  One  evening,  while 
preaching,  he  was  struck  with  death,  and  asked  for  a  chair  to  lean 
on  till  he  had  finished  his  sermon.  Having  done  this,  he  was  carried 
up  stair*  and  died.  When  the  fact  was  told  to  Whitefield,  he  said, 
"  0  blessed  God,  if  it  be  thy  holy  will,  may  my  exit  be  like  his  !" 
How  striking  is  this  fact  when  looked  at  in  connection  with  the  cir- 
stances  of  his  own  removal  from  earth. 


Mr.  Whitefield  wrote  to  Rowland  Hill,  referring  to  the  withhold- 
ing of  his  degree,  for  preaching  :  "  I  wish  you  joy  of  the  late  high 


AND  REVIVAL  INCIDENTS.  355 

dignity  conferred  upon  you — higher  than  if  you  were  made  the 
greatest  professor  in  the  university  of  Cambridge.  The  honorable 
'  degrees '  you  intend  giving  to  your  promising  candidates  [allowing 
some  of  his  fellow-students  to  preach  in  the  various  places  which  he 
had  visited],  I  trust  will  excite  a  holy  ambition,  and  a  holy  emula- 
tion ;  let  me  know  who  is  first  honored.  As  I  have  been  admitted 
to  the  degree  of  doctor  for  near  these  thirty  years,  I  assure  you  I 
like  my  field  preferment,  my  airy  pluralities,  exceedingly  well.  For 
these  three  weeks  last  past  I  have  been  beating  up  for  fresh  recruits 
in  Gloucestershire  and  South  Wales.  Thousands  and  thousands  at- 
tended, and  good  Lady  Huntington  was  present  at  one  of  our 
reviews.  Her  ladyship's  aid-de-camp  preached  in  Brecknock  street, 
and  Captain  Scott,  that  glorious  field  officer,  lately  fixed  up  his 
standard  upon  dear  Mr.  Fletcher's  horse-block  at  Madeley.  Being 
invited  thither,  I  have  a  great  inclination  to  lift  up  the  Redeemer's 
ensign  next  week  in  the  same  place  ;  with  what  success,  you  and 
your  dearly  beloved  candidates  for  good  old  methodistical  contempt 
shall  know  hereafter.  God  willing,  I  intend  fighting  my  way  up  to 
town.  Soon  after  my  arrival  there,  I  hope  thousands  and  thousands 
of  volleys  of  prayers,  energetic,  effectual,  fervent,  heaven-besieging, 
Leaven-opening,, heaven-taking  prayers,  shall  be  poured  forth  for  you 
all.  Oh,  my  dearly  beloved  and  longed-for  in  the  Lord,  my  bowels 
yearn  towards  you.  Fear  not  to  go  without  the  camp  ;  keep  open 
the  correspondence  between  the  two  universities.  Remember  the 
praying  legions — they  were  never  known  to  yield.  God  bless  those 
that  are  gone  to  their  respective  cures — I  say  not  livings,  a  term  of 
too  modern  date.  Christ  is  our  life  ;  Christ  is  the  Levitc's  inheri- 
tance, and  Christ  will  be  the  true  disinterested  Levite's  lot  and 
portion  and  all." 

While  Whitefield's  ministry  at  the  Tabernacle  was  at  its  height 
of  popularity,  Foote,  a  comedian  of  eminent  talent  for  mimicry,  who 
was  frequently  in  difficulties  on  account  of  his  love  of  ridicule,  by 
which  indeed  his  life  was  shortened,  employed  his  wit  to  bring  the 
distinguished  preacher  into  contempt.  One  of  his  biographers  says, 
that  "  very  pressing  embarrassments  fn  his  affairs  compelled  him  to 
bring  out  his  comedy  of  '  The  Minor, ^  in  1160,  to  ridicule  Method- 


356  REMAEKABLE  CONVERSIONS. 

ism,  which,  though  successful,  gave  great  offence,  and  was  at  last 
suppressed."  Of  this  miserable  piece  of  buffoonery,  it  may  be 
enough  to  say,  that  Foote,  and  the  agents  employed  at  the  Taber- 
nacle and  Tottenham  Court-road  chapel  to  collect  materials  for  the 
accomplishment  of  their  object,  were  so  disgracefully  ignorant  of  the 
inspired  writings,  as  not  to  know  that  what  they  took  for  Mr.  White- 
field's  peculiar  language  was  that  of  the  word  of  God. 

Preaching  from  Ihe  words  ''  Wherefore,  glorify  ye  the  Lord  in 
fires,"  Isa.  xxiv.  15,  he  says,  "  When  I  was,  some  years  ago,  at 
Shields,  I  went  into  a  glass-house,  and  standing  very  attentively,  I 
saw  several  masses  of  burning  glass  of  various  form.  The  workman 
took  one  piece  of  glass,  and  put  it  into  one  furnace,  then  he  put  it  into 
a  second,  and  then  into  a  third.  I  asked  him,  '  Why  do  you  put  that 
into  so  many  fires  V  He  answered  me,  '  Oh,  sir,  the  first  was  not  hot 
enough,  nor  the  second,  and  therefore  we  put  it  into  the  third,  and 
that  will  make  it  transparent.'  '  Oh,'  thought  I,  '  does  this  man  put  his 
glass  into  one  furnace  after  another,  that  it  may  be  rendered  perfect  ? 
Oh,  ray  God,  put  me  into  one  furnace  after  another,  that  my  soul 
may  be  transparent,  that  I  may  see  God  as  he  is.' " 


A  correspondence,  indeed  we  may  say  friendship,  had  for  years 
existed  between  Whitefield  and  the  eminent  philosopher  Dr.  Benja- 
min Franklin.  The  following,  from  a  letter  of  Whitefield,  August 
It,  It 52,  shows  his  fidelity  to  the  eminent  citizen  and  statesman  : 
"  I  find  you  grow  more  and  more  famous  in  the  learned  world.  As 
you  have  made  a  pretty  considerable  progress  in  the  mysteries  of 
electricity,  I  would  now  humbly  recommend  to  your  diligent,  unpre- 
judiced pursuit  and  study,  the  mystery  of  the  new  birth.  It  is  a 
most  important,  interesting  study,  and  when  mastered,  will  richly 
answer  and  repay  you  for  all  your  pains.  One,  at  whose  bar  we 
are  shortly  to  appear,  hath  solemnly  declared  that,  without  it,  we 
cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  You  will  excuse  this 
freedom.  I  must  have  aliquid  Christi — something  of  Christ,  in  all 
my  letters." 


GREAT  AWAKENING  OF  1857''8. 


On  the  14th  of  October,  1851,  the  financial  disorder  which  had 
prevailed  with  increasing  severity  for  many  weeks,  reached  its  crisis 
in  an  overwhelming  panic  that  prostrated  the  whole  monetary  sys- 
tem of  the  country,  virtually  in  one  hour.     The  struggle  was  over. 

While  the  conflict  for  life  was  yet  intense,  a  humble  individual, 
unheard  of  in  Wall  Street,  had  been  prompted  to  do  something  for 
the  relief  of  the  distressed  merchants  of  the  city.*  He  was  a  down- 
town missionary,  one  of  the  feeble  few  whom  Divine  mercy,  kinder  to 
us  than  ourselves,  had  spared  to  this  church-deserted  quarter  of  the 
city.  This  missionary,  sustained  by  the  Reformed  Protestant  Dutch 
Church,  in  William  Street,  to  explore  the  surrounding  field,  visit 
the  sick  and  the  poor,  and  bring  in  the  inhabitants  and  strangers 
to  the  house  of  God,  according  to  the  statements  published,  while 
walking  down  town  one  day,  conceived  the  thought  that  an  hour 
of  prayer  could  be  profitably  employed  by  the  business  men,  con- 
fining no  one  to  the  whole  hour,  but  coming  in  and  going  out  at 

*  We  believe  it  was  soon  after  the  institution  of  daily  Business  Men's  prayer-meetings  that 
a  prominent  business  man  in  this  city  was  reported  to  have  expressed  himself  in  the  follow- 
ing manner : 

"  Prayer  never  was  so  great  a  blessing  to  me  as  it  is  in  this  time !  I  should  certainly  either 
break  down  or  turn  rascal,  except  for  it  !  When  one  sees  his  property  taken  from  him  every 
Bay,  by  those  who  might  pay  him  if  they  were  willing  to  make  sacrifices  in  order  to  do  it,  but  who 
will  not  make  the  least  effort,  even  for  this  end,  and  by  some  who  seem  designedly  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  the  times,  in  order  to  defraud  liim — and  when  he  himself  is  liable  to  the  keenest  re- 
proaches from  others  if  he  does  not  pay  money,  which  he  cannot  collect  and  cannot  create— 
the  temptation  is  tremendous  to  forget  Christian  Charity,  and  be  as  hard  and  unmerciful  as 
anybody.  If  I  could  not  get  some  half  hours  every  day  to  pray  myself  into  a  right  state  of 
mind,  I  should  certainly  either  be  overburdened  and  disheartened,  or  do  such  things  as  no 
Christian  man  ought." 

867 


358  THE   FIKST   NOON-DAY   PEATEE-MEETING. 

their  convenience.  He  mentioned  the  idea  to  one  or  two  persons 
but  no  one  thought  much  of  it ;  yet  he  resolved  to  carry  it  out 
The  appointed  time  came  ;  three  persons  met  in  a  little  room  on  the 
third  floor,  in  the  Consistory  building  in  the  rear  of  the  church,  and 
prayer  was  there  offered.  Mr.  Lamphier  (the  missionary)  presided, 
and  one  clergyman  was  present.  The  next  meeting  was  composed  of 
six  persons.  The  next  of  twenty  persons.  The  next  meeting  was 
held  in  the  middle  room,  on  the  second  floor,  and  now  on  every  Wed- 
nsday  noon,  the  Business  Men's  Prayer- meeting  attracted  increasing 
numbers.  Its  striking  fitness  and  evident  usefulness  were  noticed  in 
the  newspapers,  secular  and  religious,  and  the  suggestion  was  ear- 
nestly made,  that  it  should  be  opened  every  day,  instead  of  weekly. 
This  was  promptly  done,  and  the  meeting-room  overflowed  and  filled 
a  second,  and  eventually  a  third  room  in  the  same  building  ;  making 
three  crowded  prayer-meetings,  one  above  another,  in  animated  pro- 
gress at  one  and  the  same  hour.  The  seats  were  all  filled,  and  the 
passages  and  entrances  began  to  be  choked  with  numbers,  rendering 
it  scarcely  possible  to  pass  in  or  out.  The  hundreds  who  daily  went 
away  disappointed  of  admission,  created  a  visible  demand  for  more 
room,  and  the  John  Street  Methodist  Church  and  lecture-room  were 
both  opened  for  daily  noon  prayer-meetings,  by  a  committee  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  and  were  crowded  at  once  with 
attendants.  Meetings  were  multiplied  in  other  parts  of  the  city,  and 
the  example  spread  to  Philadelphia,  to  Boston,  and  to  other  cities, 
until  there  is  now  scarcely  a  town  of  importance  in  the  United 
States,  save  a  few  in  the  South,  in  which  the  Business  Men's  Daily 
Prayer-meeting  is  not  a  flourishing,  and  we  may  hope,  an  estab- 
lished institution,  and  a  leading  agency  in  the  unprecedented  awak' 
ening  of  public  interest  in  religion,  which  now  casts  all  the  other 
wonders  of  the  age  into  shade. 

To  trace  the  origin,  or  rather  the  original  agencies,  of  this  divine 
u'ork,  is  a  deeper  task  than  we  here  propose.  We  should  be  led, 
more  immediately,  to  consider  the  Revival  Conventions,  and  Syno- 
dical  Visitations  of  Churches,  the  Sabbath-school  Conventions  and 
Systematic  Visitations  of  parishes,  which  have  been  held  in  various 
j»arts  of  the  country  for  some  two  years  past.  We  should  then 
find  that  only  a  few  of  the  more  recent  and  general  symptoms  of 


ORIGIN   OF  THE  AWAKENING.  359 

tlie  Divine  movement  in  the  heart  of  the  churcli  had  been  touched, 
and  the  linked  succession  of  events  would  lead  us  farther  and  farther 
back,  from  one  past  revival  to  another,  and  from  one  instrumentality 
to  another,  until  we  had  lost  sight  of  the  present  state  of  things 
from  which  we  started,  among  the  endless  ramifications  of  its  com- 
plex origin.  Generally,  we  must  regard  the  century  in  which  we 
live,  or  perhaps  rather  the  last  hundred  and  twenty-five  years,  as  an 
epoch  decidedly  characterized  by  revivals,  and  by  the  increasing  re- 
cognition, cultivation,  and  expectation  of  revivals,  until  the  last  half- 
century,  and  still  more  eminently  the  last  quarter-century,  has  pre- 
sented to  view  such  a  succession  and  general  distribution  of  spiritual 
refreshings,  and  such  a  general  increase  of  believing  prayer  and  sus- 
tained, systematic,  evangelical  efi'ort  among  Christians,  as  to  en- 
courage the  hope  that  a  period  of  loftier  aim  and  steadier  progress 
— in  other  words,  of  permanent  "  revival " — may  be  even  now  set- 
ting in,  ushered  by  this  glorious  and  inspiring  manifestation  of  the 
Divine  presence. 

But  we  return  to  our  simple  task,  to  throw  together  the  more 
immediate,  open,  and  prominent  beginnings  and  characteristics  of  a 
work  of  grace  which  we  hope  is  but  begun,  and  which  certainly  at 
this  present  writing  (the  first  week  in  April,  1858,)  shows  no  signs  of 
abatement.  Of  course  nothing  can  be  farther  from  the  character 
of  history,  than  such  a  premature  notice  of  events  just  opening  to 
view.  Yet  without  these  vivid  contemporaneous  notices,  history,  if 
not  left  wholly  without  materials,  would  lose  half  its  light.  It 
should  be  remembered  however,  that  at  so  early  a  stage  of  the 
work,  a  large  part  even  of  its  earliest  and  most  interesting  features, 
have  as  yet  found  no  opportunity  to  reach  the  public  eye.  Such  as 
we  find  we  can  give. 


First  in  order,  we  have  taken  the  Noon-day  Prayer-meetings,  not 
deciding  the  degree  of  priority  to  which  this  movement  is  entitled 
among  the  instruments  of  the  present  state  of  things,  but  regarding 
them  simply  as  the  first  and  most  remarkable  public  demonstration 
of  the  national  awakening.  The  remaining  pages  will  be  mainly  a 
compilation  of  records  and  reports,  in  the  language  of  others. 

Among  the  beginnings  of  the  Revival  in  this  City  is  to  be  men- 


360  SYSTEMATIC   VISITATION. 

tioned  the  enterprise  of  "  Systematic  Yisitation."  Some  time  ago, 
a  plan  was  set  on  foot,  which  was  adopted  by  a  large  number  of 
churches,  of  various  denominations,  in  this  city  and  Brooklyn,  for 
the  purpose  of  promoting  attendance  at  divine  service  on  the  Sab- 
bath, by  systematic  visitation  of  assigned  neighborhoods.  Each 
church  that  entered  into  the  enterprise  was  allotted  a  certain  bound, 
or  parish,  of  which  it  was  the  center,  in  which  every  house  was  to  be 
visited  and  the  religious  condition  of  every  family  inquired  into 
The  districts  at  first  chosen  to  be  visited  were  chiefly  poor 
and  low  neighborhoods,  where  both  the  temporal  and  spiritual 
destitution  of  the  people  were  painfully  apparent.  Parents  were 
solicited  to  go  either  to  the  church  in  the  district,  or  to  some 
other  out  of  it  which  they  might  prefer  instead,  and  to  send  their 
children  to  the  Sunday,  the  Mission,  or  the  Industrial  School.  In 
this  way  thousands  of  persons,  many  of  whom  were  formerly 
degraded  and  vicious,  have  been  reclaimed  to  a  better  moral  charac- 
ter and  a  higher  social  standing.  Gradually  this  scheme  of  visita- 
tion'was  extended  so  as  to  include  the  respectable  and  fashionable 
streets,  as  well  as  the  "  highways  and  hedges,"  until  finally  no 
''passover"  was  written  even  on  a  brown-stone  front,  and  Rfth 
avenue  itself  was  not  left  to  be  exempt.  And  from  the  reports  that 
have  been  presented,  the  results  of  these  efforts,  as  seen  among  the 
higher  classes  of  society,  have  been  of  equal  interest  with  those  in 
the  lower.  The  number  of  rich  people,  who  were  found  never  to 
attend  any  church,  was  enormous.  Another  of  the  antecedents  of 
the  revival,  has  been  an  increased  activity  in  the  Sunday  Schools. 
Many  of  the  Sunday  Schools,  particularly  of  this  city,  have,  within 
a  very  recent  period,  doubled,  and  in  some  instances,  tripled  their 
membership  ;  and  many  conversions  have  occurred  among  the  youDg 
people  who  attend  them  as  scholars.  Many  new  Mission  Sunday 
Schools  have  been  established  in  various  parts  of  the  city,  sus- 
tained by  individual  churches  in  the  neighborhood. 

In  the  city  of  New  York  a  similar  religious  feeling  has  never 
before  been  known.  About  twenty-five  years  ago  a  revival  of  great 
power  occurred  in  New  York.  Public  religious  meetings  were  then 
held  in  unusual  places,  and  at  unusual  hours,  and  were  throngingly 
attended,  but  we  believe  that  mid-day  p-ayer-meetings,  held   in  the 


MEETINGS    m   JOHN    STREET   AND    "  BURTOn's."  361 

centre  of  the  business  circles  of  the  city,  and  sustained  largely  by 
the  most  prominent  business  men,  are  novelties  that  were  not 
then  known.  In  fact,  if  the  idea  even  of  a  single  meeting  of  the 
character  of  any  of  the  dozen  or  more  that  are  now  held  daily  in 
different  parts  of  the  city,  had  been  proposed  six  months  ago.,  with 
any  probability  that  it  would  be  ^ttended  to  such  an  extent  as  soon 
to  require  a  multiplication  of  rooms  to  accommodate  the  increasing 
congregations,  the  idea  would  have  been  regarded  as  hardly  less 
than  preposterous. 

And  it  is  a  precisely  similar  feeling  to  that  which  is  exhibited  at 
these  meetings  in  this  city,  that  is  now  spreading  throughout  the 
country. 

The  Noonday  Prayer-Meetings. — The  Noon  Frayer-AIeetmg 
held  daily  in  the  Methodist  Church  in  John-street,  was  opened 
in  February  last,  after  the  three  rooms  in  the  Consistory  Building 
of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  in  Fulton  Street,  were  found 
to  be  too  small  to  accommodate  the  increasing  multitudes  who 
were  desirous  of  assembling  at  noon  at  some  convenient  place  down 
town  for  devotional  exercises  similar  to  those  in  the  Dutch  Church. 
The  meeting  is  composed  daily  of  about  two  thousand  persons,  con- 
sisting of  two  audiences — one  in  the  main  audience-room  and  the 
other  in  the  basement. 

This  meeting  is  more  under  the  control  of  young  men  than  that 
held  at  the  same  hour  in  the  Dutch  Church  in  Fulton  Street,  and  is 
hardly  ever  conducted  by  a  clergyman  or  an  old  man.  The  number 
of  ladies  who  attend  is  comparatively  few,  and  they  sit  chiefly  in  the 
galleries 

Prayer-Meeting  in  Burton's  old  Theatre. — A  few  years  ago 
there  suddenly  arose,  in  one  of  the  thriving  cities  of  Western 
New  York,  an  imperious  popular  demand  for  theatrical  entertain- 
ments, which  refused  to  be  assuaged  until  it  had  been  professionally 
ministered  unto  by  a  full  company  of  actors.  There  being  no  theater 
in  the  place,  a  church  was  hired  for  the  winter  season,  and  was  soon, 
by  the  combined  efforts  of  carpenters  and  scene-painters,  changed 
into  a  theatre. 

16 


362  CROWDS  PKEssrNG  m. 

Oa  the  ITth  of  March,  Burton's  old  theatre,  in  Chambers  street, 
lately  one  of  the  most  popular  places  of  resort  for  the  lovers  of  plea- 
sure in  our  country,  was  thrown  open  at  mid-day  for  prayer,  and 
crowded  with  a  solemn  assembly.  These  meethigs  w^ere  continued 
for  eighteen  days,  until  the  building  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  IT. 
S.  Government :  more  densely  thronged,  and  sought  by  gi'eater  num- 
bers unable  to  obtain  an  entrance,  than  any  theatrical  exhibition^ 
perhaps,  that  was  ever  thrown  open  in  New  York.  The  crowd  in 
attendance  is  thus  described  : 

"  Half  an  hour  before  the  time  appointed  for  beginning  the  exercisea, 
the  house  was  packed  in  every  corner  from  the  pit  to  the  roof.  By  noon, 
the  entrances  to  the  hall  were  so  densely  thronged  that  it  required  great 
exertions  to  get  within  hearing  distance,  and  no  amount  of  elbowing 
could  force  an  entrance  so  far  as  to  be  able  to  get  a  sight  of  the  stage. 
People  clung  to  every  projection  along  the  walls;  they  piled  themselves 
up  on  seats,  and  crowded  the  whole  stage  beneath,  and  above,  and  be- 
hind the  curtain.  The  street  in  front  was  lined  with  carriages.  The 
audience  was  composed  principally  of  business  men ;  there  were  about 
two  hundred  ladies,  and  not  less  than  fifty  clergymen." 

The  meeting  was  initiated  by  the  merchants  doing  business  in 
Chambers  street,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  theatre,  and  is 
continued  under  their  supervision,  the  expenses  being  all  defrayed 
by  their  contributions.  When  they  had  the  first  interview  with  Mr. 
Burton  in  relation  to  the  leasing  of  the  house,  he  expressed  a  perfect 
willingness  to  let  the  building  for  religious  purposes,  and  asked  the 
gentlemen  who  had  the  negotiation  in  charge  if  they  would  pray  for 
him. 

Kev.  T.  L.  Cuyler,  who  conducted  the  first  meeting,  addressed 
the  audience  as  follows  : 

"  At  the  request  of  a  Committee  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  I  have  come  to  conduct  the  service  to-day.  At  last  we 
may  congratulate  the  defenders  of  the  stage  that  a  theatre  has  be- 
come a  school  of  virtue,  and  not  a  school  of  vice — a  house  of  prayer, 
and  not  a  haunt  of  profanity — a  spot  for  the  real  tears  of  penitence, 
and  not  the  scene  of  fictitious  grief  over  the  fictitious  sorrows  of  the 
stage.     For  this  let  us  give  God  the  glory  I 

"  This  is  not  the  first  time  that  a  theatre  in  New  York  has  been 
used  for  a  daily  prayer-meeting.     In  1831,  the  old  Chatham-street 


THE  THEATRE  "  EEFOEMED."  363 

Theatre,  a  haunt  of  obscenity,  blasphemy,  and  vice,  was  purchased 
by  a  committee  for  purposes  of  worship.  It  was  during  the  height 
of  the  great  revival  of  1831,  that  two  gentlemen  called  on  the  lessee 
of  the  theatre  and  proposed  to  buy  his  lease.  *  What  for  V  said 
he.  '  For  a  church.'  '  A  w-h-a-t  V  '  A  church,'  replied  the  gentle- 
men. The  astonished  man  broke  into  tears,  and  exclaimed,  '  You 
may  have  it,  and  I  will  give  $1,000  toward  it.'  The  arrangement 
was  completed.  At  the  close  of  a  morning  rehearsal,  the  beautiful 
hymn,  '  The  Voice  of  Free  Grace,'  was  sung,  and  Mr.  Tappan  an- 
nounced to  the  actors  that  that  very  evening  there  would  be  preach- 
ing on  that;  stage !  A  pulpit  was  placed  on  the  very  spot  where  dy- 
ing agonies  had  often  been  counterfeited  in  tragic  mockery  ;  and  in 
front  of  the  footlights  of  the  stage  seats  for  the  inquirers  were  ar- 
ranged. 

**  The  first  prayer-meeting  in  the  theatre  (which  was  christened 
'  Chatham-street  Chapel')  was  attended  by  800  persons.  Among 
those  who  offered  prayer  were  the  late  Rev.  Hermon  Norton,  and  the 
late  Zachariah  Lewis,  one  of  the  first  editors  of  Tha  New-  York  Com,' 
merdal  Advertiser.  On  the  6th  of  May  the  house  was  consecrated 
to  the  service  of  God.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Finney  preached  from  the 
text,  '  Who  is  on  the  Lord's  side  V  In  the  evening,  the  crowd  was 
so  great  that  many  were  unable  to  get  into  the  building.  For 
seventy  successive  nights  Mr.  Finney  preached  there  to  immense 
audiences.  The  bar-room  was  changed  into  a  prayer-room  !  and  the 
first  man  who  knelt  there  poured  forth  these  words,  *  0  Lord  !  for- 
give my  sins.  The  last  time  I  was  here.  Thou  knowest  I  was  a 
wicked  actor  on  this  stage.     0  Lord,  have  mercy  on  me  !' 

"  For  three  years  this  house  was  used  for  revival  meetings,  and 
Mr.  Finney  continued  to  preach  there  until  the  erection  of  the  late 
Broadway  Tabernacle.  That  glorious  revival  of  1831  brought  into 
the  churches  of  this  city  many  of  our  most  active  and  faithful  Chris- 
tians, many  of  those  who  are  now  most  prominent  in  the  benevolent 
movements  of  the  day.  May  the  present  awakening  be  equally 
fruitful  in  enriching  God's  church,  and  blessing  a  sinful  world  ! 

"  To-day,  for  the  second  time  in  the  history  of  New  York,  we  set 
apart  a  disused  play-house  for  a  house  of  worship.  Oh  !  what  soul- 
tragedies  may  have  been  enacted  in  this  very  building  I     From  yon- 


364:  CENTEE   STREET   MISSION   MEETING. 

der  '  pit '  bow  many  may  have  gone  down  to  the  pit  of  everlasting 
despair  1  Let  our  services  here  be  as  solemn  as  eternity  I  Let  us 
invoke  the  presence  of  God's' Spirit !  and  may  this  former  habitation 
of  the  Tempter  be  the  very  habitation  of  God — the  very  gate  of 
heaven  to  souls  seeking  after  Jesus  ! 

"  I  probably  shall  offer  the  united  petition  of  every  Christian  here 
present,  when  I  say,  '  Co'me,  Lord  Jesus,  come  quickly.' " 

At  the  doors,  tracts  were  given  away  every  day  as  the  meetings 
were  dismissed,  "  Issued  by  the  Lessee  of  Burton's  Theater,  in  behalf 
of  the  Committee  of  Merchants." 


Daily  meetings  for  prayer  are  held,  between  the  hours  of  12  and 
1  o'clock,  at  the  Mission  Chapel  in  Centre  street,  near  the  Tombs. 
The  attendance  at  the  meeting  was  at  first  comparatively  small,  but 
has  since  rapidly  increased,  and  now  includes  a  number  of  j^ersons 
whose  previous  character  was  not  only  doubtful,  but  openly  vicious  ; 
many  of  whom  have  expressed  serious  concern  of  mind,  and  have 
come  forward  for  prayers. 

Many  mechanics  who  work  in  the  vicinity,  and  who  have  only  half 
an  hour  to  spend  at  noon  from  the  labors  of  the  day,  come  into  the 
meetings  blackened  with  smoke  and  dust  of  the  forge  and  anvil,  and 
participate  attentively  in  the  exercises.  Many  others,  who  cannot 
spend  even  half  an  hour,  come  in  and  go  out  at  shorter  intervals,  so 
that  the  audience  is  contiDually  changing  during  the  hour.  Many 
laborers,  whose  homes  are  in  the  upper  part  of  the  city,  but  whose 
work  brings  them  into  this  vicinity,  spend  their  noon  recess  in  the 
chapel. 

Numerous  colored  persons  also  are  present  every  day,  and  take 
seats,  without  any  seeming  objection  on  the  part  of  their  white 
neighbors.  The  entire  demeanor  of  the  meeting,  composed  as  the 
congregation  is  of  persons  in  the  lower  classes  of  society,  is  reverent 
and  thoughtful. 

A  few  days  since,  a  boy,  thirteen  years  of  age,  was  converted  at 
this  place  through  the  agency  of  the  meeting.  His  father  was  the 
keeper  of  a  low  groggery  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Five  Points,  who 
died  a  few  months  since  in  a  fit  of  delirium  tremens.  His  grand- 
father is  well  known  as  having  been  proprietor  of  many  of  the  lowest 


PRAYER-MEETING   A680CIATION.  365 

dens  of  vicious  resort  in  the  city  ;  and  yet  this  boy,  with  such  ante- 
cedents, and  with  such  an  education  and  family  associations,  gives 
evidence  of  a  true  and  genuine  conversion.  His  elder  brother  also 
was  recently  converted,  though  not  at  this  chapel.  A  Sabbath 
school  is  connected  with  the  Mission,  which  numbers  an  average  of 
about  150  children,  in  addition  to  which,  a  regular  Bible  Class  foi 
adults  has  been  opened. 

In  Duane  street  a  meeting  has  been  in  operation  several  weeks. 
It  is  a  Union  Meeting,  and  was  started  by  Mr.  Pratt,  the  missionary 
w^ho  labors  in  that  portion  of  the  city.  The  church  is  in  Duane 
street,  just  west  of  Hudson,  a  very  favorable  location  for  a  large 
meeting. 

Prayer-meetings  have  been  held  in  the  Baptist  Mariners'  Church, 
No.  224  Cherry  street,  from  11  to  12  o'clock  a.m.,  and  will  be 
continued. 


The  Flying  Artillery. — Among  the  Methodist  agencies  in  the 
Revival,  is  a  Prayer-meeting  Association,  composed  of  many  of 
the  prominent  laity  of  the  denomination,  a  retired  merchant  being 
its  leader.  They  go  around  to  different  churches  on  Sunday,  and  in 
many  instances  initiate  the  work.  The  exercises  consist  of  short 
prayers,  hymns,  and  exhortations.  Among  the  most  energetic  mem- 
bers of  the  Prayer-meeting  Association  is  ex-Aldermau  Wesley  Smith. 
Mr.  Smith  became  a  church  member  about  three  years  ago,  and  has 
ever  since  led  a  very  exemplary  life.  Thfe  ex-Alderman,  together 
with  ex-Councilman  Jonathan  Purdy,  another  member,  are  especially 
zealous  in  their  exhortations.  The  Prayer-meeting  Association  are 
achieving  great  success.  In  consequence  of  their  zeal  in  the  work, 
the  profanely  inclined  have  christened  them  "  The  Flying  Artillery 
of  Heaven." 


At  the  Union  meeting  at  Mission  Hall,  Xo.  27  Greenwich  street,  a 
gentleman  stated  that  he  was  transacting  business  with  some  parties 
yesterday,  and  asked  a  very  profane  friend  to  go  with  him  to  prayer- 
meeting.  He  went,  and  came  away  fully  convinced  of  his  great  sin- 
fulness, and  asked  the  prayers  of  the  meeting  for  him.  Mr.  Leland 
stated  that  a  friend  and  himself  were  talking  with  a  sea  captain  a 


AND   MERCHANTS     i£EETING8. 

few  days  ago,  and  thought  it  would  not  be  amiss  to  say  a  word  to 
him.  They  asked  him  if  "he  did  not  think  it  time  for  him  to  seek 
his  soul's  salvation  ?"  The  Captain  said  he  had  thought  of  it.  The 
Captain,  he  said,  went  down  to  his  ship  ;  in  his  state-room  he  knelt, 
and  then  beseeched  and  received  the  blessing. 

Noon-day  prayer-meetings  have  been  held  daily  at  one  of  the  large 
printing  oflBces  in  this  city  since  the  6th  of  March  with  increasing 
interest.  At  the  commencement  of  the  meetings  there  were  but  four 
or  five  converts,  with  very  few  participants  in  the  exercises,  and  now 
the  number  ranges  as  high  as  twelve  or  fourteen.  The  interest  mani- 
fested at  those  meetings  is  very  great.  One  of  the  recent  converts 
says  :  "  What  are  we  to  expect  when  printing  offices  are  converted 
into  religious  chapels  ?  It  is,  as  far  as  my  knowledge  extends,  un- 
precedented in  the  history  of  any  country,  and  will,  no  doubt,  aston- 
ish many  a  reader."  As  the  meetings  are  held  between  the  hours  of 
12  and  1  o'clock,  some  of  the  men  go  without  their  dinner  for  the 
sake  of  attending  them. 

On  Monday,  April  5th,  there  was  opened  for  the  first  time,  a  peo- 
ple's prayer-meeting  at  333  East  Twelfth  street,  a  few  doors  west 
of  the  Novelty  Works.  More  than  one  hundred  persons  were  pre- 
sent, and  it  was  a  pleasing  sight  to  notice  the  presence  of  a  very 
large  number  of  mechanics,  right  from  the  workshop,  who  had  gath- 
ered to  ask  the  blessing  of  God. 

Several  gentlemen  who  were  desirous  to  open  a  new  house  of  pray- 
er for  the  accommodation  of  down-town  business  men,  applied  to 
the  proprietors  of  the  Merchants'  Exchange  for  the  use  of  the  Ro- 
tunda. It  would  cheerfully  have  been  granted,  but  for  the  fact  that, 
there  is  no  suitable  time  in  the  day  when  a  prayer-meeting  could  be 
held  there. 

A  business  men's  Union  prayer  meeting,  was  opened  in  the  store 
No.  69  Broadway,  near  Wall  street,  on  Monday  afternoon,  April 
5th,  at  half-past  three  o'clock,  for  the  accommodation  of  those  who 
cannot  attend  at  mid-day. 

The  attendance  of  the  prayer  meetings  at  the  rooms  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  in  Waverley  Place,  has  increased  so  as 
to  require  the  use  of  the  reading  room  on  the  second  floor  of  the 
building. 


NOON-DAY   MEETINGS   IN   PHILADELPHIA.  367 

It  is  contemplated  to  open  another  meeting  at  the  City  Assembly 
Rooms,  in  Broadway. 

The  Union  prayer  meeting  in  South  Brooklyn,  continues  to  grow 
in  interest,  and  attracts  very  general  attention.  The  tv/o  large 
rooms  in  the  rear  of  the  Strong-Place  Baptist  Church,  are  well  filled 
by  audiences  deeply  imbued  with  the  prevalent  feeling. 

A  Union  prayer  meeting  is  held  in  the  lecture  room  of  the  Fleet 
street  M.  E.  church,  near  Fulton  avenue,  Brooklyn,  every  afternoon 
at  half-past  four  o'clock. 

A  weekly  bulletin  of  the  various  locations  of  Union  prayer  meet- 
ings in  the  city,  has  been  posted  at  steamboat  and  ferry  landings, 
railroad  depots,  newspaper  offices,  and  other  public  places  through- 
out the  city. 

NOONDAY   PRAYER   MEETINGS    THROUGHOUT   THE    UNION. 

The  Philadelphia  Press,  a  secular  Journal,  says  : — 
"  As  was  announced  in  the  last  number  of  the  Press,  the  daily 
prayer  meetings  at  Jayne's  Hall,  are  held  in  the  main  room  of  that 
capacious  edifice.  The  room  heretofore  occupied  contained  seo.ts  for 
about  three  hundred  persons,  and  when  it  was  decided  upon  to  re- 
move into  the  large  hall,  it  was  with  no  expectation  that  the  room 
would  be  filled.  When  the  hour  had  about  half  elapsed  yesterday, 
during  which  the  mid-day  meeting  is  held,  we  entered  the  hall,  and, 
to  our  amazement,  found  it  densely  crowded,  every  seat  being  occu- 
pied, including  the  settees  in  the  aisles,  and  a  large  portion  of  the 
immense  galleries,  and  those  who  left  for  want  of  room  upon  the 
main  floor  are  said  to  have  exceeded  the  number  who  could  not  gain 
admission  on  the  day  previous,  when  the  meeting  was  held  in  the 
small  room  adjoining.  There  were  certainly  not  less  than  three 
thousand  persons  who  entered  the  hall  during  the  hour,  and  our  reason 
for  announcing  it  as  an  epoch  is  the  fact  that  it  was  conceded  by 
those  present,  who  have  reason  to  know,  tliat  it  was  tiie  hirgest 
meeting  convened  for  the  simple  purpose  of  prayer  to  God,  that  has 
ever  been  assembled  in  this  country." 

A  gentleman  from  Philadelphia  described  to  the  Fulton  street 
meeting,  the  absorbing  -interest  and  feeling  manifested  in  the  great 
meetings  at  Jayne's  Hall.     When  at  one  of  these  meetings,  the  re- 


368  EEVIVAL   IN  NEWAitK. 

quest  was  made  that  persons  desirous  of  prayers  should  rise  or  raise 
their  hands,  a  hard-featured  man,  long  an  infidel,  scoffer  and  violent 
enemy  of  Christ  and  of  all  good,  rose  in  the  midst  of  the  assembly, 
with  both  hands  streiched  above  his  head,  and  tears  streaming  down 
his  cheeks  !  ~ 

A  noon-day  meeting  is  held  in  the  Mariners'  Church,  on  Water 
street,  near  the  wharf. 

Efforts  have  been  made  to  assemble  the  members  of  the  Fire  De- 
partment to  listen  to  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  and  this  movement 
has  not  been  without  decided  success.  On  one  occasion  nearly  2,000 
regular  or  exempt  firemen  attended  at  the  National  Hotel,  in  Market 
street. 

A  great  Revival  is  in  progress  in  Newark,  which  is  continually 
increasing  in  «xtent  and  fervor.  Morning  prayer  meetings  are  held 
at  eight  o'clock,  and  a  meeting  has  been  started  at  noon. 

The  Union  prayer  meetings  are  attended  to  overflowing.  Some 
stores  in  the  chief  business  streets  are  closed,  with  a  notice  on  the 
door  :  "  Will  re-open  at  the  close  of  the  prayer  meeting."  There  is 
quite  a  religious  interest  among  members  of  the  Fire  Department, 
with  a  probability  that  some  of  the  engine  houses  will  be  shortly 
opened  for  prayer  meetings. 

Rev.  H.  C.  Fish,  writes  to  the  Newark  Daily  Advertiser^  with  re- 
spect to  the  number  of  hopeful  conversions  in  that  city:  *'Asa 
matter  of  permanent  record  and  grateful  remembrance,  I  have 
thought  it  well  to  ascertain  facts  on  this  point,  as  fully  as  possible. 
Inquiries  have  been  addressed  to  thirty  pastors  and  preachers  in  the 
city,  as  to  the  jprohahle  number  of  conversions  within  the  limits  of 
their  respective  congregations.  The  figures  show  an  aggregate  of 
2,685.  Several  ministers  have  not  been  reached  ;  and  it  is  fair  to 
put  the  U'umber  un-reported  at,  say,  100  ;  which  would  make  an  ag- 
gregate of  some  2,800  hopeful  conversions." 

Rev.  Dr.  Scott  of  Newark,  states  that  the  conversion  of  persons 
of  the  strongest  and  maturest  mind  in  the  community,  is  among  the 
characteristics  of  the  work  of  grace  in  Newark.  If  he  had  attempt- 
ed to  select  from  his  congregation  forty-five  of  its  strongest  minds, 
he  would  have  generally  taken  the  forty-five  who  had  united  with 
his  church  by  profession. 


PATERSON JEK8EY    CITY ALBANY.  369 

At  Patcrson,  N.  J.,  a  Union  prayer  meeting  is  held  daily  between 
four  and  five  in  the  afternoou,  and  in  some  of  the  churches  extra 
meetings  every  evening. 

In  Plainficld,  Union  prayer  meetings  are  held  daily. 

In  Hoboken,  the  Union  prayer  meetings  at  the  Town  Hall  are 
largely  attended,  and  all  the  churches  are  receiving  accessions  to 
their  membership.  The  Presbyterian  and  the  Baptist  churches  in 
West  Hoboken,  have  both  held  meetings  every  evening  this  month. 

In  Jersey  City,  nearly  all  the  churches  have  evening  meetings,  and 
large  numbers  have  already  professed  conversion.  A  Union  prayer 
meeting  is  held  at  the  Lyceum,  in  Grand  street,  every  morning,  be- 
tween the  hours  of  seven  and  nine,  which  are  animated  and  interest- 
ing. A  prayer  meeting  is  also  held  at  the  rooms  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association,  from  half-past  five  to  half-past  six 
o'clock  every  afternoon. 

In  Albany  the  following  Union  prayer-meetings  are  held  daily;  two 
in  the  morning,  two  at  noon,  two  in  the  afternoon,  and  one  in  the 
evening.  There  is  a  number  of  church  meetings  every  evening  beside. 
A  correspondent  writes: 

"  The  meridian  prayer-meetings  have  commenced  in  this  city  with 
the  same  crowds  that  attend  elsewhere.  Other  hours  have  been 
added.  At  4  p.  m.  to  5  meetings  convene  in  the  Fourth  Presbyterian 
church,  and  from  5  to  6  at  the  rooms  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association.  Many  are  added  to  the  churches.  In  Troy  and  Schenec- 
tady, near  by,  similar  movements  have  been  made,  with  similar  gra- 
cious effect." 

A  prayer-meeting  for  the  Legislature  of  this  State  has  been  insti- 
tuted in  the  rooms  of  the  Court  of  Appeals,  at  Albany,  which  is 
continued  every  morning.  A  correspondent  of  the  New  York  Com- 
mercial Advertiser,  after  referring  to  the  crowded  daily  prayer-meet- 
ings held  in  Albany,  speaks  of  the  remarkable  movement  in  the  Le- 
gislature as  follows: 

"  Yesterday,  [March  19th,]  some  members  of  the  Legislature  com- 
menced meeting  for  prayer  at  8^  in  the  morning,  at  the  room  of  the 
Court  of  Appeals.  It  is  opposite  the  Senate  Chamber,  and  the  voice 
of  supplication  and  praise  to  the  Almighty,  is  now  heard  early  in  the 
halls  of  our  capitol.     It  was  commenced  with  but  six  persons,  but 

16* 


370  TROY HUDSON POTJGHKEEPSIE. 

at  the  fifth  meeting  the  number  present  filled  two  rooms,  and  the 
interest  has  increased  from  that  time  until  now." 

In  Troy,  the  prayer-meetings  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation, and  one  held  in  the  meeting  house  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Duncan 
Kennedy,  on  Second  street,  are  well  attended  by  merchants,  clerks, 
and  professional  men,  all  seeming  to  exhibit  a  deep  and  abiding 
interest  in  their  spiritual  welfare.  Meetings  have  been  held  in  the 
various  churches  daily  and  nightly,  and  it  is  estimated  that  several 
hundred  converts  registered  upon  the  rolls  of  membership.  It  seems 
to  have  taken  a  decided  hold  upon  the  young  men  of  the  city,  very 
many  of  whom,  it  must  be  confessed,  stood  sadly  in  need  of  some 
redeeming  influence.  Among  the  most  marked  of  the  conversions 
is  that  of  a  man,  well  known  in  our  city,  who,  after  a  career  of 
hitherto  unsubdued  social  recklessness  in  this  community,  being  like- 
wise regarded  as  wholly  irreclaimable,  is  said  to  have  earnestly  taken 
up  the  standard  of  the  cross.  I  instance  this  particular  case  because 
I  deem  it  a  perfect  parallel  with  that  of  Mr.  Orville  Gardner,  it 
having  attracted  comparatively  as  much  attention  hereabouts. 

A  letter  from* Hudson  states: 

"I  am  happy  to  state  that  the  four  evangelical  churches  in  this 
city — the  Reformed  Dutch,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Demarest;  the  Baptist,  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Smith;  the  Methodist  Episcopal,  and  the  First  Presbyterian, 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Leavitt — have  inaugurated  a  Union  prayer-meeting 
for  each  day  in  the  week,  from  4  to  5  o'clock,  and  that  with  one 
accord.  The  people  came  to  them  as  doves  to  their  windows.  The 
room  was  thronged  yesterday  beyond  precedent,  and  near  100  had 
only  standing  places.  The  scene  was  one  of  solemnity,  deep  and 
strong.  Men,  women,  and  children  fill  the  seats  to  their  utmost 
capacity,  in  an  orderly  and  devout  manner. 

At  Poughkeepsie  Union  prayer-meetiugs  are  held  daily  at  4  p.  m., 
and  are  largely  attended.  It  is  now  nearly  three  weeks  since  these 
meetings  were  commenced,  and  still  the  numbers  in  attendance 
increase  daily.  Religious  service  is  held  in  several  of  the  churches 
e^ery  evening,  and  all  the  others  are  holding  extra  meetings.  Up 
to  this  time,  about  three  hundred  persons  have  confessed  conversion, 
in  the  several  churches  in  this  city,  and  many  more  are  seeking  tho 
Saviour. 


PEEKSKILL — KINGSTON UTICA.  371 

At  Peekskill,  eight  weeks  ago,  a  5  o'clock  prayer-meeting  was 
commenced  in  the  lecture-room  of  the  Methodist  Church,  which  has 
since  been  very  largely  attended.  A  week  subsequent  to  the  appoint- 
ment of  these  meetings,  evening  exercises  were  appointed,  which, 
owing  to  the  large  attendance,  have  been  held  in  the  body  of  the 
church.  A  number  of  young  men  and  women  connected  with  the 
Sabbath  School  were  the  first  converts,  since  which  the  work  has 
progressed  with  greater  power,  and  the  number  of  conversions, 
including  both  old  and  young,  has  reached  300.  Of  these  many  are 
connected  with  the  fire  department,  and  others  are  workmen  in  foun- 
dries. In  the  New  School  Presbyterian  Church  about  fifty  conver- 
sions, have  taken  place.  Peekskill  has  had  the  name  of  having  a 
larger  number  of  irreligious  persons,  who  were  openly  wicked,  than 
any  other  town  of  equal  size  along  the  river. 

In  Kingston,  Ulster  County,  New  York,  a  Union  prayer-meeting 
was  recently  established  in  the  basement  of  the  Methodist  church, 
which  soon  drew  an  attendance  too  large  to  be  accommodated  by 
the  room,  and  which  has  since  been  transferred  to  the  large  lecture- 
room  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  which  in  its  turn,  has  also 
become  too  small. 

A  correspondent  in  Rondout  writes:  "The  Presbyterian  church 
is  now  having  meetings  daily,  between  12  and  1  o'clock;  the  principal 
business  men  of  the  village  attend." 

In  Utica,  in  December  last,  the  pastors  of  the  various  evangelical 
churches  united  in  holding  weekly  Union  prayer-meetings  in  the  dif- 
ferent churches.  The  interest  and  numbers  in  attendance  increased 
so  rapidly  that,  at  the  third  meeting,  held  in  the  First  Presbyterian 
church,  the  house  was  filled,  including  the  galleries,  with  a  deeply- 
interested  audience.  Such  was  the  feeling  in  the  community  that, 
two  or  three  weeks  since,  daily  morning  prayer-meetings  were  ap- 
pointed in  one  of  the  large  churches  in  the  central  part  of  the  city 
under  the  direction  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association. 

The  meetings  have  continued  with  great  interest  and  a  constant 
increase  of  numbers.  Now,  every  morning  the  body  of  the  house 
and  galleries  are  filled  full  with  worshippers,  and  frequently  some 
have  to  stand.  All  evangelical  Christians  are  united  in  this  work  as 
one  man. 


372  SCHENECTADY SYEACTJSE BUFFALO,  ETC. 

At  Schenectady,  two  daily  prayer-meetings  are  held.  The  revival 
has  been  in  progress  for  nearly  three  months,  and  is  still  continuing 
with  success.  Every  bell  in  the  city  has  sounded  evening  after  even- 
ing, and  every  church ,  been  filled  during  this  time.  Converts  have 
come  in  with  surprising  rapidity.  Union  College  has  been  blessed 
in  a  manner  never  known.  Places  of  resort  for  dissipation  have  been 
thinned  out.  Many  of  the  oldest  inhabitants  say  that  there  was  never 
such  a  time  known. 

At  Syracuse,  a  daily  meSting  is  held  in  Convention  Hall,,  a  place 
which  has  been  heretofore  the  scene  of  much  political  noise  and 
strife. 

In  Buffalo,  Grace  church  has  been  opened  for  daily  prayer-meetings, 
from  8  to  10  a.  m.  Similar  meetings  are  also  held  every  day  in  the 
Lafayette  street  cliurch.  Among  the  Presbyterians,  at  Dr.  Thomp- 
son's church,  as  many  as  fifty  have  professed  faith  in  Christ.  The 
interest  is  largely  increasing  in  Dr.  Chester's,  Dr.  Heacock's,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Coming's,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Rankin's  churches.  For  months 
past,  in  the  Rev.  J.  Hyatt  Smith's  church.  Baptist,  there  has  been 
much  interest.  In  the  Methodist  churches  the  revival  has  been  quite 
powerful.  Between  forty  and  fifty  have  professed  religion  in  the 
^Niagara  street  church;  about  the  same  number  in  Grace  and  Pearl 
street  church;  and  about  one  hundred  in  the  church  at  River  Side. 
In  the  German  church  some  fifteen  or  more  have  professed  rehgion. 

In  Geneva  a  revival  of  great  stillness,  depth,  and  solemnity  has 
manifested  itself  in  the  Presbyterian  church  under  the  pastoral  care 
of  the  Rev.  H.  Winslow.  About  an  equal  number  of  each  are  sub- 
jects cf  the  work,  including  many  in  the  Sabbath  school  who  are 
quite  young.  The  revival  is  extending  in  the  other  congregations 
in  this  place,  and  a  daily  Union  prayer-meeting  is  held  in  the  Dutch 
Reformed  Church,  which  is  filled  every  morning. 

A  correspondent  in  Pen  Yann  writes:  "  For  about  three  weeks 
we  have  had  what  is  called  a  '  People's  prayer*meeting,'  from  8  to  9 
o'clock  a.  m.,  in  the  basement  room  of  the  Methodist  church.  The 
room  has  been  crowded  with  Christians  from  all  our  evangelical 
churches. 

In  Pittsburgh,  two  daily  prayer-meetings  are  held  between  the 
Lours  of  \\\  and  12^  o'clock.     The  attendance  at  one  of  these  meet- 


CLEVELAND CINCINNATI CHICAGO,   ETC  373 

ings  numbers  about  700,  and  at  the  other  about  300.  The  interest 
in  this  city  has  manifested  itself  chiefly  within  a  few  weeks  past,  and 
the  daily  prayer-meetings  are  of  recent  appointment.  The  churches 
in  the  neighborhood  are  also  sharing  in  the  revival,  and  gathering 
its  fruits. 

In  Cleveland,  several  morning  prayer-meetings  are  held  in  the  base- 
ments of  the  different  churches,  which  are  largely  attended  by  busi- 
ness men,  who  stop  at  the  meetings  as  they  go  to  their  stores  ;  the 
united  attendance  is  about  2,000.  Great  interest  exists,  not  only 
in  the  churches,  but  in  the  com.munity  generally.  Plymouth  Congre- 
gational Church  has  been  for  some  time  past  occupied  with  extra 
meetings,  which  have  increased  in  frequency  and  interest,  till  now 
there  are  five  daily — commencing  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
closing  at  nine  iu  the  evening.  These  gatherings  are  designed  to 
meet  the  necessities  of  the  different  classes  in  the  congregation,  and 
the  community  generally.  Eight  hundred  persons  have  been  recently 
received  into  the  evangelical  churches  of  the  city. 

The  Cincinnati  Gazette  says,  "  that  the  attendance  at  the  daily 
prayer-meetings  in  this  city  is  so  large  that  the  room  in  which  they 
are  held  is  not  sufficient  to  accommodate  the  multitudes  that  flock  to 
the  place.  The  large  lecture-room  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church 
has  been  thrown  open,  and  day-meetings  will  be  organized  in  several 
other  rooms  in  the  basement." 

Noonday  Union  prayer-meetings  have  been  commenced  in  Indiana- 
polis, la.  There  is  much  religious  interest  pervading  the  whole  town. 
Let  all  the  Christians  of  the  State  (says  the  Witness)  unite  at  noon 
to  pray  for  their  capital,  that  God  will  work  mightily  here,  where 
the  strongholds  of  Satan  are. 

In  Chicago,  noon  prayer-meetings  are  held  each  day  at  the  Brick 
church,  formerly  First  Presbyterian,  corner  of  Clark  and  Washing- 
ton streets.  A  similar  service  has  been  commenced  at  Metropolitan 
riall.  The  Hall  was  full  at  the  first  meeting.  Most  interesting 
morning  and  noon  prayer-meetings  are  held  at  the  First  Baptist 
church,  with  preaching  service  in  the  evening,  at  which  very  strik- 
ing manifestations  of  the  Spirit's  power  are  seen.  A  letter  received 
from  Chicago,  under  date  of  March  24,  says  :  "  The  religious  inter- 
est now  existing  in  this  cityis  very  remarkable.     More  than  2,000 


374  DETROIT LOUISVILLE ST.  LOUIS. 

business  men  meet  at  the  noon  prayer-meeting.  The  Metropolitan 
Hall  is  crowded  to  suffocation.  The  interest  in  the  First  Baptist 
•church  is  beyond  anything  ever  known  in  this  city,  and  exceeds  any- 
thing I  have  ever  seen  in  my  life.  Some  who  have  come  to  the  city 
on  business,  have  become  so  distressed  about  their  condition,  as  sin- 
ners against  God,  that  they  have  entirely  forgotten  their  business  in 
the  earnestness  of  their  desire  for  salvation.  I  am  amazed  to  see 
such  evidences  of  God's  grace  and  power  manifested  among  men. 
Every  section  of  the  country  is  alike  favored  by  the  Lord.  I  might 
add  that  the  First  Baptist  church  have  daily  meetings  from  eight  to 
nine  in  the  morning,  twelve  to  one  at  noon,  and  six  and  a  half  o'clock 
evening.     The  church  to-day  have  had  an  all-day  meeting." 

At  Detroit,  morning  prayer-meetings  for  business  men,  both  at 
the  Baptist  church  and  the  old  Congregational,  are  crowded  by  the 
business  men  of  all  denominations.  In  nearly  all  the  churches  a 
quickening  interest  has  been  manifest.  The  First  Baptist  church 
has  had  meetings,  under  appointment,  every  morning  for  two  weeks. 
The  number  of  inquirers  is  on  the  increase,  and  numerous  conver- 
sions have  taken  place.  In  the  Congress-street  Methodist  church, 
over  140  conversions  have  taken  place. 

At  Louisville,  Ky.,  the  daily  Union  prayer-meeting  numbers  1,000 
in  attendance.  One  writer  says,  "  The  spirit  of  God  seems  to  be 
brooding  over  our  city,  and  to  have  produced  an  unusual  degree  of 
tenderness  and  solemnity  in  all  classes.  Never  since  our  residence 
in  the  city  have  we  seen  so  fair  a  prospect  for  a  general  and  thorough 
work  of  grace  as  is  now  indicated." 

In  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  an  unusual  interest  has  recently  been  manfested 
in  the  churches  and  in  the  business  circles  of  the  city.  Daily  prayer- 
meetings  are  held,  which  are  well  attended  by  all  classes  of  people, 
and  great  seriousness  exists  ;  all  the  churches  are  crowded.  All 
classes  of  society  appear  to  feel  the  influence.  A  lady  of  wealth, 
and  heretofore  among  the  leaders  of  fashion,  was  lately  converted, 
and  united  with  the  Baptist  church. 

A  gentleman  from  Ohio  lately  stated,  that  by  adding  his  personal 
observations  to  those  of  a  friend,  he  could  say,  that  from  Omaha 
City,  Nebraska,  to  Washington,  there  was  a  line  of  prayer-meetings 
along  the  whole  length  of  the  road  ;  so  tliat,  wherever  a  Christian  tra' 


WASHINGTON BALTIMOKE THE    SOUTH.  375 

Teller  stopped  to  spend  the  evening,  he  could  find  a  crowded  prayer- 
meeting-,  across  the  entire  breadth  of  our  vast  republic. 

At  Washington,  five  daily  prayer-meetings  are  held,  at  half-past 
six,  ten,  and  eleven,  a.m.,  and  at  five  and  seven,  p.m.,  in  the  rooms 
of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  and  in  the  churclies. 
Some  members  of  Congress  have  met  to  arrange  for  the  formation  of 
"  a  Congressional  Union  Praycr-mecting."  A  correspondent  writes 
as  follows  of  the  meeting  in  the  First  Presbyterian  church  :  "  The 
church  can  scarce  contain  the  people.  Requests  are  daily  preferred 
for  an  interest  in  the  prayers  offered,  and  the  reading  of  these  forms 
one  of  the  tenderest  ami  most  affecting  features  of  the  meetings. 
Particular  pains  are  taken  to  disclaim  and  exclude  everything  like 
sectarian  feeling.  General  astonishment  is  felt  at  the  unexpected 
rapidity  with  which  the  work  has  thus  far  proceeded,  and  we  are  be- 
ginning *to  anticipate  the  necessity  of  opening  another  church."  Not 
less  than  1,000  persons  are  in  attendance  at  some  of  the  meetings 
for  prayer. 

In  Baltimore,  daily  prayer-meetings  are  held,  by  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association.  They  are  well  attended,  and  considerable 
interest  appears  to  manifest  itself  at  every  service.  In  addition  to 
the  meeting  held  at  the  rooms  of  the  Association,  Fayette  street,  at 
12  o'clock,  there  are  two  others  held  during  the  day — one  at  the 
German  Reformed  church,  and  the  other  at  Harmony  Hall.  The 
young  men  of  the  Seventh  Baptist  church  set  apart  Tuesday  as  a 
day  of  fasting  and  prayer.  Several  other  churches  have  done 
likewise,  and  arc  holding  daily  meetings.  In  addition  to  these,  a 
general  business  men's  prayer-meeting  is  held,  similar  to  those  in  New 
York. 

In  Richmond,  Ya.,  a  daily  prayer-meeting  has  been  recently  esta- 
blished. 

In  Lynchburg,  Va,,  a  revival  is  in  progress,  resulting  in  many  con- 
versions, chiefly  of  young  men. 

A  daily  morning  prayer-meeting  is  held  in  the  rooms  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association,  Great  St.  James  street,  Montreal,  for 
the  special  benefit  of  business  men.  A  daily  Union  prayer-meeting 
is  held  in  the  same  city,  in  the  American  Presbyterian  church,  be- 
tween the  hours  of  four  and  five,  p.m. 


376  THE  REVIVAL   IN   BOSTON. 

In  Boston,  Prof.  Finney  of  Oberlin  College,  well  known  as  a  re- 
vival preacher,  has  been  laboring,  during  the  past  winter,  as  in  the 
preceding.  In  addition  to  the  usual  meetings  in  the  different  churches, 
daily  prayer-meetings  are  now  held  as  follows  :  At  the  South  Bap- 
tist church,  from  eight  to  nine,  a.m.  ;  at  the  Old  South  chapel, 
half  past  eight  to  half-past  nine,  a.m.,  and  for  business  men  from 
twelve  to  oue,  p.m.  ;  also  at  Salem-street  church,  same  hour  ;  at 
Park-street  vestry,  and  Church-street  Methodist  vestry,  at  three 
o'clock  ;  at  the  Meionaon  (Tremont  Temple),  four  to  five  p.m.  ;  at 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  rooms,  half-past  five  to  half- 
past  six.  Several  of  the  churches  have  meetings  every  evening. 
Dr.  Kirk  preaches  two  evenings  in  the  week  in  Mount  Yernon  chapel. 

The  business  men's  prayer-meetings,  which  many  of  the  chief  mer- 
chants in  the  city  leave  their^counting-rooms  to  attend,  are  of  a  cha- 
racter never  before  known  in  Boston  or  Massachusetts.  A  corre- 
spondent, in  speaking  of  the  character  of  the  work,  says  : 

"It  is  not  excitement.  There  is  none  of  that  wildness  so  often 
manifested  in  seasons  of  religious  interest.  The  work  has  reached 
the  'Black  Sea,'  our  Five  Points.  'Publicans  and  sinners'  are 
awakened,  and  are  entering  the  prayer-meetings  of  their  own  accord. 
Some  of  them  manifest  signs  of  sincere  repentance,  and  a  movement 
is  on  foot  to  make  them  a  home,  to  place  them  where  vice  shall  not 
find  nor  temptation  allure  them." 

Parents  residing  out  of  Boston,  who  have  sons  in  business  in  that 
city,  whom  they  would  like  to  be  visited  by  some  of  the  members  of 
the  Christian  Association  for  religious  conversation,  are  requested 
to  send  the  required  information  to  C.  D.,  Box  No.  2,259,  Boston. 

At  oue  of  the  prayer-meetings  a  few  days  ago,  an  instance  was 
mentioned  of  a  man  who,  under  deep  conviction,  burned  up  his  cards, 
and  in  a  day  or  two  was  converted.  At  another  meeting  a  gentle- 
man arose  and  said,  that  "  he  had  been  reading  infidel  books  for  the 
last  few  years  ;  but  that,  during  the  previous  night,  on  his  bended 
knees,  alone,  he  was  enabled  to  make  a  comph'te  surrender  of  him- 
self to  God,  and  found  peace."  One  pious  merchant  in  Milk  street 
brought  in  three  or  four  of  his  clerks,  and  at  the  close  of  the  meet- 
ing introduced  them  to  some  of  the  young  men,  who  walked  home 
with  them  to  tell  them  of  the  blessednesB  of  serving  God. 


SPEmOFIELD NEW   BEDFOED ^NEW    HAVEN,  ETC.  3TT 

The  noonday  meeting  on  the  corner  of  Ferry  and  North  streets, 
Boston,  is  attended  by  an  unusual  number  of  persons  who  have  been 
hitherto  profligate  and  abandoned.  Considerable  money  has  been 
subscribed  to  provide  homes  for  those  who  have  been  converted  and 
reformed. 

At  the  Unitarian  church,  of  which  the  Rev.  Dr.  Robbins  is  pastor, 
Union  prayer-meetings  are  held  every  Tuesday  evening,  which  are 
densely  crowded.  The  services  are  conducted  alternately  by  the  Rev. 
Messrs.  Robbins,  Ellis,  and  Coolidge. 

In  Springfield,  the  noon  prayer-meetings  exhibit  an  increasing 
interest.  Inquiry-meetings  are  held  by  nearly  every  pastor  in  the 
city. 

In  Lynn,  working-men's  prayer-meetings  are  held  daily  at  the  First 
Baptist  church,  between  the  hours  of  one  and  two  o'clock,  and  a 
young  man's  prayer-meeting  is  daily  held  at  the  rooms  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  for  one  hour,  commencing  at  half  after 
five,  p.m.  The  attendance  and  interest  at  these  meetings  are  in- 
creasing. 

At  New  Bedford,  a  combined  business  men's  and  young  men's 
meeting  has  been  successfully  added  to  the  services  which  now  occur 
at  almost  every  hour  of  the  day  and  evening.  A  new  and  very  mo-- 
derate  estimate  of  presumable  conversions  in  New  Bedford  is  800  ; 
a  less  cautions  computation  might  run  the  number  up  to  nearly  a 
thousand. 

In  Haverhill,  Mass.,  the  daily  prayer-meeting  crowds  one  of  the 
churches.  So  profound  has  been  the  impression  of  the  Spirit,  that 
in  some  instances  half  the  assembly  have  been  observed  silently  weep- 
ing. Some  of  the  most  hardened  men  in  the  place  have  been  recently 
renewed.  One  of  the  pastors  recently  went  the  rounds  of  his  parish, 
and  found  not  a  single  house  in  which  there  were  not  either  inquir- 
ing souls,  or  believers  wrought  to  the  intensest  solicitude  for  the  irre- 
ligious. 

At  New  Haven,  every  morning  at  eight  o'clock,  one  of  the  largest 
churches  in  the  city  is  crowded  to  excess,  and  every  afternoon  at 
five  another — with  those  who  go  to  pray  and  those  who  are  seeking 
the  way  of  life,  together  with  some  careless  ones  who  ga  first  from 
curiosity,  but  not  always  in  vain.     There  is  a  Young  Men's  Prayer- 


ST8  HAETFORD NEW   LONDON PORTLAND. 

meeting  every  evening  at  half-past  eight  o'clock,  in  the  large  hall  of 
the  Institute  building.  One  night,  about  forty  requested  prayers 
for  themselves. 

The  revival  in  Yale  College  is  probably  without  a  precedent,  so 
far  as  numbers  interested  are  concerned.  In  fact,  it  is  said  to 
include  nearly  all  the  students  ;  among  the  converts  are  some  who 
have  been  very  bitter  scoffers,  and  who  were  tolerably  well  armed 
with  the  philosophy  of  the  infidel. 

Large  daily  Prayer-meetings  are  held  at  Hartford.  A  note- 
worthy feature  of  the  revival  at  Hartford,  is  that  prayer-meetings 
have  been  held  in  several  fire-engine  houses.  The  attendance  has 
been  large,  the  persons  present  being  chiefly  members  of  the  com- 
panies. 

In  New  London,  a  Union  mid-day  prayer-meeting  is  held  in  the 
vestry  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  in  State  street.  The  rules  of 
the  New  York  meeting  in  the  North  Dutch  Church,  have  been 
adopted. 

At  Bethel,  Connecticut,  a  Union  meeting  is  held  from  four  to  five 
o'clock,  every  afternoon,  attended  by  farmers,  mechanics,  and  store- 
keepers, who  suspend  business  eutii'ely  for  the  hour.  Upwards  of 
two  hundred  persons  have  been  converted  during  the  last  two 
months.  A  Young  Men's  Prayer-Meeting  has  been  established,  and 
is  well  attended.  About  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  converts  have 
attached  themselves  to  the  Congregational  church. 

In  the  city  of  Portland,  Me.,  morning  and  noon  prayer-meetings 
have  been  held  for  some  time  past  in  the  vestries  of  the  Free  street 
and  Union  churches,  and  which  more  recently  have  become  so 
crowded  that  it  has  been  found  necessary  to  adjourn  them  to  the 
churches  for  larger  accommodations.  In  the  vestry  of  the  Congre- 
gational church,  of  which  the  Rev.  Dr.  Dwight  is  the  pastor,  a 
morning  prayer-meeting  is  held  every  day  at  eight  and  nine  o'clock. 
The  morning,  afternoon  and  evening  prayer-meetings  are  attended 
by  crowds.  In  tlie  evenings  the  church  bells  summon  thousands 
to  the  various  churches,  and  the  religious  interest  is  on  the 
increase. 

In  Concord,  New  Hampshire  daily  prayer-meetings  have  been 
recently  appointed,  at  which  the  attendance  thus  far  has  been  very 


SPREADING   NORTHWAUD   AND    SOUTHWARD.  379 

encouraging.  In  many  of  the  churches  more  than  usual  interest 
is  manifested,  and  the  general  state  of  things  is  hopeful. 

In  Providence,  a  time  of  religions  interest  like  the  present  was 
never  before  known.  Nearly  every  church  has  been  awakened  and 
the  conversions  are  numerous.  The  morning  prayer-meetings,  com- 
menced some  weeks  ago  in  Franklin  Hall,  have  increased  in  attend- 
ance until  filled  to  overflowing,  and  arrangements  were  required 
for  multiplying  facilities  for  those  pressing  to  gain  admission.  An 
.additional  morning  meeting  has  been  opened  in  the  vestry  of  the 
Richmond  street  Meeting-house.  A  five  o'clock  meeting  has  also 
been  commenced  in  the  vestry  of  the  First  Baptist  Meeting-house,  and 
another  at  the  same  hour  in  the  vestry  of  the  Beneficent  Congrega- 
tional Meeting-house  on  Broad  street.  All  of  them  are  fully 
attended,  and  are  evidently  making  a  strong  impression.  It  is  a 
fact  obvious  to  common  observation  that  more  persons  of  both  sexes 
are  at  this  moment  engaged  in  religious  inquiry  than  at  any  former 
time  in  the  history  of  our  city  ;  and  when  men  are  seen  leaving 
their  business  to  engage  for  an  hour  in  social  devotions,  they  indi- 
cate a  feeling  that  necessarily  affects  others,  and  tends  to  draw 
the  minds  of  the  thoughtless  to  the  vital  question  of  the  soul's  high- 
est welfare.  Thus  far,  these  meetings  have  been  free  from  all 
appearance  of  unhealthy  excitement. 

The  revival  appears  to  be  extending  in  Northern  New  England, 
which  has  been  comparatively  slow  to  feel  the  influence  of  the 
general  mevement.  In  Portland,  where  the  interest  has  been  for 
some  time  deep  and  remarkable,  it  is  greatly  increasing.  In  addi- 
tion to  meetings  before  named,  two  large  public  halls  have  been 
opened  for  mid-day  prayer. 

The  same  spirit  is  prevailing  in  all  the  surrounding  towns.  The 
watchmen  in  Portland  were  holding  prayer-meetings  in  the  watch- 
houses.  In  Skowhegan,  men  shut  up  their  stores  and  go  to  prayer- 
meetings  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  forenoon.  A  man  in  Bath  had  con- 
verted his  bar-room  into  a  place  of  prayer.  All  along  on  the  river, 
the  work  of  God  is  going  on. 

In  Vermont  and  New  Hampshire,  special  religious  interest  is 
awakened  in  Brattleboro,  Bellows  Falls,  Claremont,  Dartmouth 
College,  Haverhill,  Northfield,  St.  Albans,  Burlington,   Castleton, 


380  SPIRIT   OF   THE   MEETINGS   IN   NEW   YORK. 

Middlebury,  Derby,  and  Manchester.  In  most  or  all  of  these  places, 
there  are  daily  prayer-meetings  ;  at  Burlington  they  are  held  daily 
at  noon, 

A  supplement,  containing  the  important  intelligence  and  pointed 
appeals  copied  from  American  religious  papers,  concerning  the  great 
awakening  in  the  United  States,  which  appeared  in  the  Montreal 
Witness  has  been  issued  and  widely  distributed  through  the  city  of 
Montreal,  and  a  copy  has  also  been  sent  to  every  Protestant  minis- 
ter in  Canada.  

SPimT    OF   THE    MEETINGS    IN    NEW   YORK. 

The  following  card  is  posted  in  a  conspicuous  manner  at  the  John 
street,  and  other  meetings  of  the  kind. 

YOUNG      MEN      AND      YOUTH 

ARE    "  AT    HOME  "    HERE, 

AND  MUST  NOT 

HESITATE  TO  TAKE  PART. 

Other  notices  are  put  up  in  these  meetings  for  the  proper  regula- 
tion of  the  exercises.  The  following  rules  are  not  adopted  entire  at 
all  the  meetings,  but  will  serve  to  show  the  general  spirit  and  mode 
of  proceeding  in  all. 

''Order  of  Exercises  and  suggestions  for  the  Government  of  the 
Business  Meih  Daily  Union  Prayer-Meeting,  No.  44,  John  street. 

"  1st. — Hymn,  not  over  four  stanzas. 

"  2d. — Reading  Scriptures,  never  over  fifteen  to  twenty  verses. 

"  3d. — Prayer  by  Leader. 

"  These  three  exercises,  not  to  occupy  over  twelve  minutes  ;  then 
the  meeting  to  be  left  open  for  prayer  or  exhortation.  No  person  to 
pray  or  exhort  over  three  minutes,  nor  pray  and  exhort  the  same  day. 
At  half-past  twelve  o'clock  the  leader  will  ask  any  who  wish  the 
prayers  of  the  meeting  for  themselves  to  rise  without  speaking,  and 
remain  standing  a  few  seconds — a  half  minute  being  allowed  for 
this.  At  the  touch  of  the  bell  will  begin  a  season  of  two  minutes' 
silent  prayer,  to  be  broken  by  the  leader  asking  some  brother  by 
name  to  lead  in  prayer. 

"It  is  desired  that  no  more  than  two  consecutive  prayers  or 
exhortations  should  follow  each  other. 


RULES    AND   ORDER   OF   EXERCISES.  381 

"  When  a  verse  of  any  hymn  is  desired  to  be  sung,  let  it  be 
announced  distinctly,  that  all  may  find  it,  as  it  may  not  be  familiar 
to  each  one,  and  never  over  two  verses  at  a  time. 

•'  Whoever  leads  the  meeting,  or  takes  part  in  the  exercises, 
must  remember  it  is  very  desirable  that  they  do  not  begin  in  low 
tones,  but  throughout,  speak  distinctly,  with  their  voices  somewhat 
raised,  and  facing  the  larger  part  of  the  audience  from  where  they 
may  be  seated. 

"  When  special  requests  for  prayer  are  read  by  the  leader  or 
made  by  the  audience,  let  them  not  be  disregarded  by  the  one  who 
next  leads  in  prayer, 

"  The  pastors  of  the  Churches,  the  Sabbath  Schools,  Bible  Classes, 
and  the  Churches  of  our  cities  and  land,  should  be  made  the  sjpedal 
subjects  of  prayer  for  the  last  half  hour  each  Saturday,  that  the 
Sabbath  succeeding  may  be  a  great  day  in  Zion. 

"  Young  men  are  expected  to  take  part. 

"  The  leader  will  announce  the  closing  hymn  punctually  five  minutes 
before  one — any  one  having  the  floor  yielding  immediately — and 
ask  for  the  benediction  from  any  clergyman  present. 

''  A  collection  to  defray  necessary  expenses  will  be  taken  Wednes- 
days and  Saturdays,  while  singing  the  closing  hymn. 

"  All  notices  must  be  written  plainly,  and  pass  through  the  Com- 
mittee before  reading.  Union  notices  will  be  gladly  read  ;  but 
those  of  denominational  character  will  be  declined. 

"The  leader  will, strike  the  bell  whenever  the  rules  are  disre- 
garded, or  he  wishes  to  gain  the  floor,  if  others  are  before  him,  in 
order  to  direct  the  exercises  at  any  time. 

"  The  singing  will  be  led  by  otve.  person  near  the  desk,  so  there 
may  be  no  confusion  in  this  regard. 

"  No  controverted  points  discussed  or  announcements  of  what 
denomination  the  brother  may  belong  to  must  be  made  upon  the 
floor. 

"  It  must  be  understood  that  those  who  cannot  remain  the  whole 
hour  should  come  and  go  as  suits  their  convenience. 

"  N.  B. — The  Trustees  of  the  Church,  request  that  the  use  of 
tobacco  be  dispensed  with  during  the  hour. 

"  Those  coming  early  will  please  fill  seats  forward.     All  should 


382  SPIRIT   OF   THE   MEETINGS    m   KEW   TOKK. 

take  seats  immediately  upon  entering  the  house,  as  far  up  in  the 
pews  as  possible.  When  all  seats  are  filled,  walk  down  the  aisle 
near  the  desk  and  stand,  so  that  none  may  be  kept  out.  Standing 
at  the  stove,  near  the  door,  should  be  avoided  by  all. 

"  By  order  of  the  Committee  on  Devotional  Meetings  of  the  New 
York  Young  Men's  Christian  Association." 

These  rules  are  strictly  enforced.  A  person  who  overruns  his 
time,  either  in  prayer  or  remark,  i's  promptly  called  to  order  by 
the  stroke  of  the  bell,  and  he  is  expected  to  consider  this  reminder 
as  no  discourtesy,  and  immediately  to  obey  it  by  taking  his  seat. 

It  is  among  the  benefits  of  the  present  revival  which  can  hardly 
fail  to  endure,  that  we  have  been  taught  how  to  conduct  prayer- 
meetings.  There  is  something  in  this  primitive  "  assembling  of  our- 
selves together,"  which  is  adapted  to  act  powerfully  upon  our  religi- 
ous life  through  the  principles  of  our  social  nature,  if  we  but  know 
how  to  seize  upon  it.  To  prescribe  an  awakened  state  of  religion  in 
the  souls  of  the  people,  as  the  infallible  condition  of  a  good  prayer- 
meeting,  is  a  sort  of  *'  begging  the  question."  This  is  precisely  what 
we  solicit  a  good  prayer-meeting  for.  The  animated  daily  prayer- 
meetings  w^hich  are  springing  up  and  multiplying  all  over  our  coun- 
try, with  a  press  of  general  earnestness  which  compels  the  restriction 
of  every  person  participating,  to  three  or  five  minutes,  set  before  the 
Christian  mind  a  vivid  illustration  of  the  proper  method  of  these 
means  of  grace.  We  shall  be  likely  to  remember  hereafter,  that  if 
we  would  meet  to  edification,  w^e  must  unite  in  a  vigorous  efi'ort  to 
crowd  the  hour  with  brief,  terse,  pointed  utterances,  of  prayer,  senti- 
ment, or  exhortation,  from  the  greatest  variety  of  speakers.  If 
there  were  no  such  thing  as  weariness  of  flesh  or  spirit,  and  nothing 
else  to  do  but  sit  the  livelong  day,  and  every  one  had  the  tongue  of 
an  angel — still  the  five-minute  rule  would  be  necessary  in  substance 
for  a  good  prayer-meeting.  Rapid  succession  is  essential  to  the 
union  of  many  utterances  in  one  unbroken  chain,  of  ^  many  notes  in 
one  expressive  melody,  of  many  individuals  in  the  collective  majesty 
of  a  "  public."  A  succession  of  prolonged  tones  may  be  each  never  so 
sweet,  or  soft,  or  grand,  and  may  vary  throughout  the  widest  com- 
pass of  the  scale  ;  but  they  are  not  music,  for  the  want  of  connec- 
tion and  unity.     Instead  of  a  dialogue,  it  is  a  series  of  soliloquies, 


ADDRESSES   AJSD   CIRCUMSTANCES.  383 

and  the  wonderfnl  product  of  the  social  principle  by  which  mere  men 
become  that  sublime  object  man,  and  can  in  that  character  hold  ex- 
alted converse,  the  whole  with  each,  and  each  with  the  whole — is 
lost. 

ADDRESSES. 

Mr.  Beecher. — I  am  ashamed  of  myself,  positively,  to  be  an  ob- 
ject of  more  faith  than  my  Saviour  ;  yet  I  have  persons  coming  to 
me  every  day  of  my  life,  with  their  wants  and  troubles,  and  when  I 
think  of  the  injustice  of  coming  to  me  thus,  instead  of  going  to 
Christ,  I  feel  just  like  pushing  them  away.  How  eagerly  they  be- 
lieve every  statement  I  make  ;  how  they  hang  upon  my  sympathy, 
and  hope  I  will  let  them  come  again  to-morrow.  I  say  to  myself,  if 
you  would  only  come  to  Christ  with  half  the  faith  that  yftu  come  to 
me,  you  might  be  rejoicing  in  half  an  hour.  Suppose  now,  that,  in- 
stead of  a  man,  sinful  and  erring  like  yourselves,  you  should  put  in 
my  place  the  august  form  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  full  of  benignity 
glorious  with  goodness,  and  with  a  sweetness  that  is  more  than  any 
mother  ever  knew  for  her  darling  child,  waiting  patiently,  bending 
over  you  and  saying,  "  Come  unto  me  and  take  my  yoke  upon  you  f 
"  learn  of  me  and  ye  shall  find  rest  to  your  souls,"  "  for  he  that 
Cometh  unto  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out."  Suppose  you  should 
hear  Jesus  Christ  saying,  "  I  have  been  out  to  seek  and  search  for 
lost  men,  and  I  have  found  you,  and  I  am  persuading  you  to  come 
to  me,  believe  me  I  love  you,  that  I  love  you  now."  If  there  is  a 
man  that  has  one  thought  toward  God,  it  is  because  the  love  of  God 
is  drawing  him  sympathetically  to  himself.  It  is  a  blessed  thought 
that  Jesus  Christ  is  longing  for  you,  and  I  would  that  you  might 
turn  still  more  earnestly  to  Jesus  Christ  and  say,  "  Lord,  I  believe 
thee,  I  believe  thou  lovest  me  ;  I  believe  thou  desirest  to  make  me 
thine,  and  from  this  hour  it  shall  be  the  object  of  my  life  to  please 
Uiee,  and  the  one  firm  object  of  my  life  to  serve  thee."  Wont  you 
try  the  efi'ect  of  that,  some  of  you,  to-day?  Try  it  at  once,  even 
now,  while  I  am  speaking. 

A  gentleman  who  stood  in  the  doorway  said  that,  some  weeks 
since  a  merchant  came  here  from  Albany,  and  called  on  one  of  our 
New  York  merchants  to  buy  some  goods.     At  12  o'clock  the  New 


384:  SPmiT   OF  THE   MEETINGS   IN   NEW    YORK. 

York  merchant  looked  at  his  watch,  and  asked  to  be  excused  for  an 
hour.  The  other  objected,  as  he  was  in  haste  to  get  through  with 
his  business.  He  replied  that  he  must  go  to  prayer-meeting  ;  it  was 
of  more  importance  than  to  sell  his  whole  stock  of  goods.  The 
gentleman  from  Albany  inquired  if  he  could  not  pray  enough  at 
morning  and  night,  without  leaving  his  business  at  noon  ?  The 
merchant  said  he  could  not ;  and  by  persuasion  and  gentle  force  he 
induced  his  friend  to  go  to  the  prayer-meeting  with  him.  That  man 
went  into  that  meeting,  became  interested,  and  came  out  a  con- 
verted man,  went  home  to  Albany,  and  immediately  started  those 
prayer-meetings  there  which  have  been  so  blessed  of  God. 

A  young  man  said  he  was  walking  up  West  street,  a  day  or  two 
since,  when  he  saw  a  sailor  sitting  upon  the  steps  of  a  store,  who,  as 
he  looked  at  him,  sprang  up  and  grasped  his  hand,  when  he  found 
it  was  an  old  schoolfellow  from  Connecticut.  After  some  conversa- 
tion, he  asked  his  new-found  sailor  friend  if  he  was  a  Christian,  and 
the  answer  had  struck  him  as  very  forcible;  it  was,  "By  God's 
grace,  I  am." 

That  young  man  was  the  only  Christian  on  board  the  ship,  and  he 
was  now  on  the  sea,  the  only  servant  of  Christ  among  so  many  who 
were,  perhaps,  sending  up  blasphemies  instead  of  prayers,  and  he 
hoped  the  brethren  would  remember  him  in  their  prayers,  that  he 
might  be  kept,  and  enabled  to  preach  Christ  wherever  he  went. 

The  Rev.  J.  P.  Thompson,  (colored,)  Pastor  of  the  Zion  Church, 
in  Leonard  street,  wanted  to  say  a  word.  He  had  been  engaged  in 
this  work  since  he  was  a  boy,  and  he  was  now  nearly  40  ye;ars  of 
age.  "  I  have  striven  since  I  was  14  years  of  age  to  live  right  and 
to  love  God  ;  I  believe  I  love  him,  I  know  I  do.  I  have  been  to 
this  house  before,  and  my  heart  has  been  so  full  of  love  to  God — 
especially  the  first  time  I  came  here — that  I  had  to  return  to  my 
own  place,  corner  of  Leonard  and  Church  streets,  and  bless  God." 
He  was  happy  to  say  that  there  had  been  a  continuous  outpouring 
of  the  spirit  of  God  in  his  church  since  New- Year's  eve.  Both  white 
and  colored  had  been  converted  there  ;  and  out  of  some  three  hun- 
dred, sixty  or  seventy  had  been  saved. 

After  the  singing,  Mr.  Beecher  said  : 

It  takes  the  summer  whole  months  to  ripen  fruit  ;  but  the  sum 


SENTIMENTS    AND    INCIDENTS.  ^  385 

mer  of  God's  love  does  not  require  weeks  nor  months.  There  is  no 
reason  that  the  fruit  that  blossoms  here  right  in  the  beginning  of 
this  meeting  should  not  ripen  and  fall  before  the  close  of  it.  In  the 
days  of  the  Apostles,  iu  the  early  periods  of  the  Gospel,  when  there 
was  simplicity  of  faith  in  the  hearers,  men  were  converted  so  quick 
that  it  was  like  a  shot  ;  the  report  and  the  explosion  were  almost 
simultaneous.  And  so  when  the  preacher  and  the  hearer  are  of  one 
accord,  I  think  that  in  such  an  atmosphere  as  that,  souls  may  be 
converted  before  one  golden  hour  rolls  by.  Let  us  begin,  then,  in 
the  conviction  that  souls  may  be  converted  here  now.  Will  some 
brother  that  has  this  spirit  pray  ? 

Mr.  Beechor  related  an  instance  of  the  conversion  of  a  sea  captain 
a  few  days  ago,  from  "  a  word  fitly  spoken  "  by  a  man  who  had 
business  relations  with  him.  The  word  led  him  to  go  to  prayer- 
meeting,  where  lie  was  so  mucli  affected  that  he  went  home,  locked 
his  door,  got  down  on  his  knees,  and  did  not  rise  until  he  had  evi- 
dence that  God  had  pardoned  his  sins.  That  single  word  saved 
that  man,  and  who  could  tefl  where  the  end  would  be  when  that 
Christian  captain  should  have  preached  the  Gospel  of  Christ  around 
the  globe  ! 

A  man  in  tlic  parquette,  who  had  spoken  before,  now  prayed.  His 
prayer,  like  his  exhortation,  was  principally  composed  of  Scripture 
quotations. 

Mr.  Beecher — My  Christian  brother,  you  forget  to  pray  for  the 
only  thing  we  ask  prayers  for.  Let  some  other  brother  pray  for  the 
subjects  of  these  requests. 

A  clergyman  on  the  stage  prayed  for  thera. 

Mr.  Beecher — AV'hen  persons  have  an  old  hope  that  does  not 
keep  them  warm,  they  should  always  do  as  men  do  with  their  gar- 
ments— go  and  get  a  suit  that  does.  An  old  hope  that  keeps  a  man 
talking  and  talking,  is  not  worth  anything  ;  Jesus  Christ  is  vrorth  a 
great  deal.  Gather  manna  every  morning  ;  never  gather  enough 
for  two. 

The  Leader— I  reserve  to  the  last  a  petition  which  I  shall  read, 
and  for  which  I  shall  offer  prayer  by  and  by.  We  will  spend  two 
minutes  in  silent  prayer.  At  the  close  of  that  time,  I  will  thank 
Fome  brother  to  lead  audibly  in  prayer. 

n 


386  6PIEIT   OF   THE   MEETINGS   IN    NEW    YORK. 

The  silence  which  ensued  was  peculiarly  solemn,  and  impressive, 
and  was  broken  by  prayer  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Nott,  of  the  Broome 
street  Baptist  Chui'ch. 

A  woman  in  the  gallery  told  how  God  had  heard  her  prayers  for 
the  conversion  of  her  only  son,  and  reminded  young  men  of  the 
anxiety  of  their  praying  mothers. 

The  other  message,  continued  a  speaker,  with  which  I  am  charged, 
and  which  I  am  happy  to  discharge,  comes  from  the  United  Christ- 
ians at  Elmira,  in  this  State.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  with 
them  yesterday.  They  have  discarded  their  ordinary  place  of  wor- 
ship, and  now  meet  in  the  large  Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  Smith 
said  the  meetings  there  had  the  same  characteristics  as  those  here — 
quietness  and  power.  The  work  seemed  like  a  rising  tide,  insensibly 
but  powerfully  rising  higher  and  higher,  reaching  all  classes  of  per- 
sons. The  message  which  the  brethren  of  Elmira  had  sent  was  that 
delightful  prophecy  of  Zaccariah,  who  records,  "  That  the  inhabitants 
of  the  city  shall  encourage  each  other,"  &c. 

A  gentleman  in  the  corner  of  the  robm  said  that,  a  few  evenings 
since  he  had  been  at  a  meeting  some  eight  or  ten  miles  from  the 
city,  where  a  lady  rose  and  asked  liberty  to  speak,  which  was 
granted.  Her  heart  was  full  of  anxiety  for  her  two  sons,  and  she 
poured  out  her  petitions  to  God  as  only  a  mother  could.  After  she 
closed,  she  turned  to  him  and  asked  him  to  bear  her  petition  to  this 
meeting,  that  those  two  sons  might  be  gathered  into  the  fold  of  God. 
He  would  like  to  ask  those  present  if  they  realized  the  fact  that 
eternity  was  before  them  ;  on  the  one  hand  everlasting  life,  and  on 
the  other  everlasting  damnation.  If  this  house  was  in  a  blaze,  and 
the  cry  was  "  Fire  !''  all  would  rush  for  the  door.  "  But  there  is 
an  eternal  fire  pursuing  you — oh  !  fly  to  Jesus  Christ,  and  find 
rescue  from  the  danger." 

Mr.  Hart  said  he  could  not  describe  his  feelings  to-day.  He 
thought  of  the  time  when,  a  lad,  he  used  to  trip  up  to  the  old  church 
on  this  spot.  The  pulpit  was  on  the  wrong  end  now.  He  heard 
there  the  silvery  voice  of  the  sainted  Summcrfield,  as  he  poured 
forth  his  tones  so  lovingly.  There  was  also  the  stalwart  Elder  Mer- 
wiu,  whom  the  old  men  would  remember,  whose  strong  voice  was 
not  to  be  forgotten  ;  and  he  could  now  point  to  the  man  who  used 


SENTIMENTS   AND   INCIDENTS.  387 

to  lead  the  choir,  Mr.  Daniel  Ayres,  (who  sat  close  to  the  pnlpit,) 
or  rather,  who  used  to  be  kd  by  a  blind  woman,  whose  name  was 
Hannah  Baldwin.  Her  eyes  were  closed,  but  her  tongue  was  loose. 
How  she  sang,  as  she  sat  in  the  highest  seat  !  Preacher  and  singers 
had  all  gone  to  that  happy  land  where  there  was  no  blindness.  We, 
said  he,  wait  a  little  longer — how  little,  none  can  know. 

A  gentleman  in  the  centre  of  the  house  said  that,  on  last  Saturday 
he  had  resolved  to  confess  his  sins  and  come  to  the  Saviour.  On 
Sunday  he  did  go  to  God,  but  could  find  no  rest.  His  bretliren 
talked  and  prayed  with  him.  He  had  often  thought  prayer  a  "  hum- 
bug," but  then  he  saw  right  into  his  brother's  heart.  He  went  to 
the  altar,  but  could  get  no  relief.  When  his  friends  asked  him  if 
he  felt  better,  he  almost  said  •'  Yes  ;"  but  something  within  told 
him  to  say  the  truth.  On  Monday  he  read  his  Bible,  and  prayed 
all  day,  yet  went  to  bed  without  relief.  But  on  Tuesday  morning 
all  seemed  clear  to  him.  He  wanted  to  tell  his  friends  that  religion 
was  a  fact  to  him. 

Mr.  Hart  said  he  would  invite  any  who  wished  a  special  interest 
in  the  prayers  of  the  meeting  to  rise.  Quite  a  number  rose  in  vari- 
ous parts  of  the  house. 

Two  minutes  were  then  spent  in  silent  prayer.  After  which  Mr. 
W.  E.  Dodge  prayed  specially  for  those  who  had  shown  that  they 
needed  an  interest  in  the  Saviour. 

A  young  man  in  the  gallery  _said  he  wanted  to  say  a  few  words, 
not  to  those  who  were  old  soldiers  of  the  Lord,  because  he  felt  like 
a  child  just  beginning  to  walk,  but  to  those  who  were  seeking  Christ. 
''  If  you  are  seeking  Christ,"  said  he,  "  do  not  be  ashamed  of  it.  It 
is  a  design  of  the  devil  to  make  you  ashamed  to  allow  your  wants  to 
be  made  known.  Heed  him  not,  but  come  to  the  Saviour  without 
delay." 

A  gentleman  on  the  west  side  of  the  house  quoted  the  passage, 
"  Quench  not  the  Spirit  I"  There  is  no  doubt,  he  remarked,  but  we 
may  so  grieve  the  Spirit  as  to  drive  him  away  from  us  entirely.  In 
times  like  these  we  should  be  especially  careful.  He  instanced  the 
case  of  a  young  lady  who  had  made  a  profession,  but  was  not  Tving 
a  Christian  life.  She  awoke  one  morning  very  early,  indeed,  feehng 
a  strange  impulse  lo  pray.     At  last  she  yielded  to  the  impulse,  and 


3S8  SPIRIT    OF   THE   MEETINGS    IN    NEW    YORK. 

fell  upon  her  knees  at  the  bedside.  There  the  morning  sun  found 
her — ready  to  answer  to  the  call  of  "Follow  me."  "  I  will  follow 
thee  through  good  report  and  evil  report."  If  she  had  neglected 
the  impulse,  it  might  have  been  the  last  call  of  the  Spirit  to  her  soul. 

Mr.  Dodge  said  he  knew  it  was  against  the  order  to  speak  and 
pray  both,  but  he  wished  to  relate  the  case  of  a  lady  moving  in 
high  social  jDOsition  in  this  city.  A  few  Sundays  ago  a  poor  Chris- 
tian woman,  who  was  a  friend  of  hers,  called  on  her  to  talk  with 
her  about  her  spiritual  condition.  She  received  her  very  kindly, 
and  a  few  days  after,  the  poor  Christian  woman  was  surprised  to 
see  her  friend  come  to  her  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  feeling  very  anxi- 
ous about  her  soul.  Then  the  lady  was  apparently  in  good  health, 
but  last  Friday  God  came  to  that  house,  and  last  night  the  pastor 
stood  by  her  dying  bed,  and  asked  if  "  Jesus  could  not  make  a  dying 
bed  feel  soft  as  downy  pillows  are  ?"  "  Oh,  yes  I  Oh,  yes  I"  she 
said — and  went  to  heaven. 

A  gentleman  near  the  door  offered  a  short  prayer,  after  which  the 
final  hymn  was  given  out,  commencing, 

"  Before  Jehovah's  awful  throne," 

being  the  hymn  appointed  to  be  sung  at  all  the  meetings  on  Tues- 
day. The  tune  was  "  Old  Hundred,"  the  whole  congregation  rising 
and  uniting  their  voices,  producing  a  strong  effect. 

At  one  of  the  meetings,  a  gentleman  said  that  iu  Manchester,  N.H., 
where  a  minister  preached  from  the  text,  "  Go  cut  and  bring  in  the 
lame,  the  halt,  and  the  blhid,"  a  3^oung  lady  went  out,  and  at  the 
next  meeting  brought  in  four  young  ladies  ;  and  in  a  short  time, 
three  out  of  the  four  were  converted. 

A  gentleman  rose  and  stated  that  he  had  been  requesicd  by  a 
lady  to  solicit  the  prayers  of  that  meeting  iu  behalf  of  her  daugh- 
ter-in-law, who  had  become  a  drunkard,  and  who,  in  consequence, 
had  been  for  some  time  separated  from  her  kind  and  tender  husband. 
She  had  been  found,  the  previous  day,  in  the  yard  at  the  back  of 
the  house,  in  a  state  of  beastly  intoxication,  and  was  at  that  moment 
in  a  house  close  to  the  place  of  meeting  under  the  care  of  that 
mother-in-law. 

He  also  told  of  a  gambler  who,  on  a  recent  Sunday  morning,  had 
liis  attention  attracted  by  the  sound  of  a  church  bell,  upon  which  he 


EXPERIENCES    AND    EFFORTS.  389 

reasoned  with  himself,  and  eventually  concluded  that  tlic  churcli  bell 
was  a  call  for  him  as  much  as  for  any  person  else.  lie  knelt  behind 
a  fence,  and  prayed  to  God  to  strengthen  him,  and  to  give  him 
grace  and  faitli,  and  he  is  now  with  the  people  of  God,  living  at 
peace  with  his  formerly  troubled  conscience. 

Another  gentleman  said  he  knew  of  a  distiller  in  this  city  who,  a 
day  or  two  ago,  became  uneasy  as  to  the  condition  of  his  soul.  He 
went  to  his  minister  and  asked  him  what  he  must  do  to  be  at  peace 
with  God.  "  Believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  was  the  reply.  "  I 
cannot,  I  am  a  distiller,"  was  the  response.  "  Well,  then,"  said  the 
minister,  "  yon  must  give  up  your  salvation  or  your  distillery."  He 
went  home,  slept,  and  in  the  morning  informed  his  partner  that  he 
must  give  up  his  distillery  and  save  his  soul.  This  man  was  now 
living  a  different  life,  believing  in  God,  and  trusting  in  him  to  sup- 
ply all  his  wants. 

Some  general  observations  were  made  as  to  the  importance  of 
canvassing  the  neighborhood  thoroughly,  and  bringing  larger  num- 
bers to  hear  the  gospel. 

Another  speaker  said  that  he  had  been  in  a  hotel  next  door,  and 
invited  eight  men  to  come  into  the  meeting  who  were  playing  bil- 
liards. He  had  no  doubt  that  many  others  might  be  brought  in  in 
that  way. 

"  Prayers  are  requested  for  a  minister's  son  in  Joliet,  Illinois,  who 
is  awny  from  home  and  friends. 

The  writer  offered  a  similar  case  last  Tuesday.  Those  prayers 
have  been  answered  in  the  undoubted  conversion  of  the  young  man 
in  whose  behalf  they  were  asked." 

Of  the  noonday  meetings  in  New  York,  one  visitor  says  :  All 
wore  crowded,  and  almost  every  opportunity  to  speak  or  pray  was 
sought  by  several  earnest  competitors.  In  the  Chambers  street 
meeting,  many  of  the  addresses  were  from  persons,  young  and  old, 
who  had  just  given  themselves  to  God.  Among  the  many  requests 
for  prayer,  was  one  from  a  young  lady  in  behalf  of  her  impenitent 
brother,  now  on  his  death-bed,  and  in  despair.  Two  minutes  silent 
prayer  was  announced,  and  many  supplications,  tears  and  sobs  re- 
sponded to  the  affecting  appeal. 

A  sailor  in  the  orchestra  said  that  before  prayer  was  offered  he 


890  SPIRIT    OF    THE    MEETINGS    IN    NEW    YOEK. 

wanted  to  say  that  he  aucl  his  brother  had  a  qnarrel  some  six  months 
ago.  Since  that  time  he  had  found  Christ  precious  to  his  soul,  and 
he  wanted  prayer  offered  for  his  brother,  that  he  might  be  brought 
into  the  right  way,  and  be  as  happy  as  he  was. 

A  gentleman  in  the  upper  circle  said  that  a  sea-captain,  a 
friend  of  his,  who  had  just  come  into  port,  informed  him  that  he 
met  five  ships  as  he  was  coming  in,  and  they  all  reported  having 
prayer-meetings  on  board  at  12  o'clock  every  day. 

Another  gentleman  in  the  upper  circle  said  that  a  very  short  time 
ago  he  wes  an  unbeliever.  He  used  to  stay  at  home  on  Sunday  and 
read  the  Sunday  newspapers,  but  having  been  induced  to  attend 
one  of  these  meetings  to  gratify  curiosity,  he  did  so,  and  last  Sunday 
he  was  not  able  to  sit  in  his  chair  or  to  rest  contented  at  home. 
He  went  to  church  and  heard  his  sins  laid  before  him.  Now  he  had 
got  the  Saviour's  cross  and  was  resolved  to  cling  to  it. 

Another  man  on  the  stage  said  he  had  come  to  the  city  upon 
very  urgent  business,  but  he  found  the  good  work  going  on  here, 
and  he  resolved  at  once  to  remain  here. 

An  opportunity  was  then  given  for  all  to  rise,  or  otherwise  signify 
their  desire  for  the  prayers  of  the  people.  In  response  to  this, 
nearly  two  hundred  persons,  of  both  sexes,  asked  to  be  prayed  for. 

A  gentleman  in  the  parquette  wished  to  speak  for  his  son  less 
than  three  days  old.  He  was  a  much-blessed  father  in  the  conver- 
sion of  two  children,  son  and  daughter,  of  whom  he  did  not  suspect 
anything  until  she  asked,  "  Father,  are  certain  attitudes  of  the  will 
towards  God  conversion  ?"  He  was  detained  from  his  counting- 
room  until  after  11  o'clock.  He  ran  in  and  said,  "  Henry,  is  there 
anything  to-day  ?"  to  which  the  reply  was  made,  "  Father,  I'm  con- 
verted; at  half-past  nine  o'clock  to-day  the  Spirit  of  God  was  opened 
to  me.  My  heart  was  so  full  that  I  had  to  turn  the  key  in  the 
door  and  run  to  John  street."  They  say  that  he  came  up  with  the 
pen  behind  his  ear  :  so  easy  is  it  for  those  young  men  to  find  the 
kingdom  "  to-day." 

An  old  gentleman  in  the  dress  circle  offered  an  earnest  prayer  for 
the  owner  of  the  building,  the  petition  being  responded  to  by  numer- 
ous "  araens !"  in  the  audience. 

Still  another  voice  ascended  from  the  parquette,  in  prayer  for  Mr 


REQUESTS   FOR    TRAYER.  391 

Burton,  that  tlic  great  Father  might  let  him  know  that  there  was  a 
God. 

While  the  prayer  was  being  offered,  Mr.  Barton  was  within 
a  short  distance  of  the  speaker,  and  manifested  considerable  emotion. 

The  sound  of  distant  singing  was  now  heard,  when  Mr.  Beecher 
said,  "  Brethren,  do  you  hear  that  ?  Stop  a  moment  and  listen  to 
that  :  that  is  the  singing  in  the  old  bar-room  of  this  theatre  !  Lot 
us  spend  two  minutes  in  silent  prayer  and  thanksgiving  !''  With 
one  accord  3,000  heads  were  bowed,  and  for  two  minutes  no  sound 
was  heard  save  the  singing  from  the  old  bar-room,  and  the  ripple  of 
the  gas  at  the  footlights.  No  more  impressive  scene  was  ever  pro- 
duced within  those  walls. 


^  REQUESTS    FOR   PRAYER. 

"  A  Christian  merchant  earnestly  desires  the  prayers  of  God's 
people  for  his  co-partners  in  business,  and  for  all  the  young  men  in 
their  employment  unconverted  to  God." 

"  An  anxious  wife  is  praying  earnestly  at  this  hour  for  her  hus- 
band, who  once  made  a  profession  of  religion,  but  is  now  fearful  that 
he  never  was  born  of  the  Spirit,  and  is  in  darkness.  She  asks  for 
an  interest  in  your  prayers  in  his  behalf." 

"  A  mother  earnestly  solicits  an  interest  in  the  prayers  of  all 
Christians  for  a  husband  who  once  professed  religion,  but  who  has 
now  backslidden  from  God." 

One  of  the  worst  cases  that  I  have  ever  read — because  a  man  that 
has  backslidden — not  that  has  apostatized  and  knows  it,  but  that 
lius  backslidden  and  thinks  that  he  is  a  Christian,  just  enough  to 
keep  him  from  being  one — that  is  one  of  the  most  desperate  of  all 
cases. 

"  The  prayers  of  those  who  are  accustomed  to  intercede  with 
God,  are  requested  by  a  San  Franciscan,  that  the  Almighty  would 
visit  the  city  of  San  Francisco  with  a  gracious  outpouring  of  his 
Spirit.  Remember  your  brothers  and  fathers  on  the  Pacific  coast 
in  your  secret  prayers.     '  He  can  save  even  to  the  uttermost.'  " 

"  The  prayers  of  this  meeting  are  asked  by  a  grandson,  who  has 
recently  been  converted,  for  an  aged  grandfather,  whose  hairs  are 


392  SPIRIT   OF   THE   MEETINGS    IN   NEW    YORK. 

silvered  by  age,  and  who  has  passed  the  years  of  '  threescore  and 
ten.     Pray,*l3rother  Beecher,  that  he  may  be  converted." 

"  The  prayers  of  this  meeting  are  requested  for  a  young  lady  who 
scoffs  at  religion. 

"^Don't  forget  her, brethren.  She  has  no  one  to  pray  for  her  but 
the  writer  of  this.     Oh,  pray  for  her." 

An  elderly  gentleman,  in  the  centre  of  the  house,  offered  prayer, 
remembering  the  young  lady's  case. 

"  The  prayers  of  Christians  are  requested  for  a  young  man — the 
son  of  a  clergyman — who  is  an  idle  jester  on  the  subject  of  religion, 
and  who  has,  within  the  last  hour,  been  heard  to  ridicule  these  meet- 
ings, and  to  jest  upon  these  subjects." 

"A  lady,  eighty-seven  years  of  age,  who  has  always  lived  a 
worldly  life,  and  who  seems  bent  upon  going  into  eternity  trusting 
in  her  own  righteousness,  declined  an  earnest  invitation  of  the  writer 
to  accompany  him  to  this  meeting  :  but  she  seemed  unusually  im- 
pressed when  told  that  between  1  and  2  o'clock  to-day,  the  prayers 
of  this  congregation  of  several  hundreds  of  persons,  would  be  offered 
up  to  God  in  her  behalf.  The  writer,  on  leaving  her,  requested  her 
to  pray  for  herself  at  the  same  hour  of  the  day." 

"  Prayers  are  requested  for  a  young  man  who  has  thus  far  re- 
sisted all  persuasions  to  attend  these  meetings,  and  who  is  in  these 
rooms  to-day  for  the  first  time." 

"A  sister,  who  has  been  praying  daily  three  years  for  the 
conversion  of  an  only  brother,  asks  an  interest  in  your  prayers." 

**  A  brother  requests  the  earnest  prayers  of  this  meeting  in  behalf 
of  a  loved  but  thoughtless  sister,  that  she  may  be  led  to  think  more 
of  the  things  which  pertain  to  her  peace,  and  to  choose  that  good 
part  which  shall  not  be  taken  away  from  her." 

"  A  young  man,  connected  with  one  of  the  general  government 
ofiBces  in  this  city,  having  become  deeply  impressed  concerning  the 
salvation  of  his  soul,  while  attending  the  glorious  Union  prayer- 
meetings  in  this  house,  earnestly  requests  to  be  remembered  by  the 
people  of  God  here  assembled,  in  their  prayers,  to  the  end  that  he 
may  find  peace  in  Jesus.  Also,  he  would  ask  for  the  supplication 
of  this  people  in  behalf  of  her  whom  he  so  deeply  loves,  his  affianced 
wife,  who  is  also  earnestly  inquiring  the  way  to  heaven." 


REQUESTS   FOR   PRAYKR.  393 

"  Prayers  are  requested  for  a  sister  who  is  given  to  intempe- 
rance." 

"  A  few  praying  souls  in  Spring  street  Presbyterian  Church, 
deeply  bewailing  the  spiritual  desolation  of  that  Zion,  beseech  you 
to  nnite  with  them  in  wrestling  and  importuning  on  her  behalf. 
Brethren  and  sisters,  pray  for  us,  and  if  you  can,  come  over  and  help 
us." 

"  I  wish  to  state  that  I  feel  myself  a  great  sinner,  and  that  there 
is  no  hope  for  me.  I  feel  lost  forever.  Although  I  am  young  in 
years,  I  feel  old  in  sins,  and  know  not  what  to  do  to  be  saved.  I 
feel  that  the  spirit  of  God  has  left  me  altogether,  and  if  I  remain  in 
this  state  what  will  become  of  my  soul  ?  May  God  have  mercy  on 
me  I  Hell  stands  staring  me  in  the  face.  Would  to  God  that  I 
may  become  converted.  Pray  particularly  for  me,  and  I  will  try  to 
pray  for  myself." 

"  A  widow  asks  for  the  prayers  of  the  brethren  and  sisters  for  a 
son  brought  up  under  careful  religious  instruction,  who  last  night 
mrsed  his  mother — that  he  may  this  day  be  brought  to  the  feet  of 
Jesus." 

"  A  young  man  desires  prayers  for  a  friend  who  is  a  professor,  but 
does  not  know  whether  be  is  saved  or  not." 

"  The  prayers  of  Christians  are  most  earnestly  requested  by  a  sou 
in  behalf  of  an  aged  father,  nearly  seventy  years  old.  A  family  of 
ten  children  are  praying  morning,  noon,  and  night  for  him." 

"  It  is  earnestly  requested  by  a  group  of  four  persons,  who  will 
be  present  at  the  meeting  in  Burton's  theatre  this  morning,  that  ^Mr. 
Burton  may  be  specially  remembered  in  our  petitions,  and  may  God 
answer  prayer,  even  so  as  to  surprise  him  who  has  desired  it  foi 
himself." 

"Oh  !  pray  for  me.  I  was  touched  with  the  prayer  of  Mr. 
Bcecher  in  this  place  on  Monday.  I  am  one  of  those  who  have  not 
a  father  or  mother — no  Christian  friends.  Hated  and  despised  by 
my  own  sex,  I  have  felt  abandoned.  I  am  yet  in  a  hopeless  condi- 
tion in  life,  but  I  have  prayed  that  he  who  conversed  with  the 
woman  of  Samaria  may  reveal  himself  to  my  soul.  Will  you  pre- 
sent my  case  to  'Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven,'  when  you  pray  ; 
and  when  you  pray  for  me,  remember  all  abandoned  young  women, 

17* 


39i  SPIRIT   OF   THE   MEETINGS    IN    NEW    YOEK. 

made  so  by  the  beartlessness  of  unprincipled  men,  and  kept  so  by 
,  tiie  pitiless  prejudice  of  our  own  sex. 

"  Martha." 
The  above  was  written  in  a  neat,  legible  hand.  ♦ 

COMMUNIOX    BY   TELEGRAPH. 

Among  the  remarkable  and  beautiful  features  of  the  new  revival, 
it  is  delightful  to  observe  how  "  the  Holy  Spirit  seems  to  occupy 
with  Divine  power  and  glory,  all  the  common  channels  of  man's 
intercourse  with  man.  No  speech  so  humble  and  secret — no  organ 
of  intelligence  so  vast,  so  swift,  so  new  and  wonderful — but  the 
Spirit  claims  them  all  for  its  service.  The  electric  telegraph  con- 
veys the  thrill  of  Christian  sympathy,  with  the  tidings  of  abounding 
grace,  from  multitudes  to  multitudes  in  every  city  simultaneously 
assembled,  in  effect  almost  bringing  a  nation  together  in  one  pray- 
ing concourse.  The  Press,  which  speaks  in  the  ear  of  the  millions, 
is  taken  possession  of  by  the  Spirit,  willing  or  unwilling,  to  proclaim 
His  wonders,  and  go  everywhere  preaching  the  word,  in  its  most 
impressive,  its  living  forms  and  examples.  These  communications 
and  means  of  grace  and  general  awakening,  on  their  present  scale, 
are  altogether  of  modern  date — a  new  thing,  and  under  God,  a 
mighty  thing,  in  the  religious  world.  The  barest  statement  in 
figures,  which  is  all  we  are  able  to  give,  for  the  most  part,  of  the 
wide  outpouring  of  God's  mercy  upon  our  land,  is  more  eloquent  of 
divine  love  than  the  voice  of  an  apostle.  It  carries  mingled  invita- 
tion, encouragement,  and  rebuke,  in  thrilling  tones  to  every  laggard 
church  and  hesitating  Christian."  The  revival  reports  of  the  New 
York  Tribune  (to  which  we  are  largely  indebted  in  this  volume), 
while  they  continued,  were  the  cause  of  much  awakening  among  the 
millions  which  that  immensely  circulated  paper  reaches  daily.  It  is 
a  wonder  of  wonders,  to  behold  such  organs  employed  on  such 
errands,  and  to  such  purpose.  A  pastor  at  a  distance  writes  to  one 
of  the  religious  papers  : 

"  The  glorious  summary,  with  the  editorial  remarks  on  the 
"  Great  Revivals,"  in  your  paper  of  the  4th  instant,  stirred  my  soul 
so  powerfully,  that  I  felt  that  something  more  must  he  done  in  our 


COMMUNION    BY    TELEGRAril.  395 

village.  I  accordingly  called  on  the  Presbyterian  minister  in  the 
place,  and  proposed  increased  efforts  in  onr  churches.  The  result 
is,  that  meetings  have  been  increased,  the  influences  of  the  Spirit 
are  falling  like  dew  upon  us,  and  we  have  every  indication  that  the 
three  denominations  will  be  greatly  revived,  and  we  hope,  sinners 
converted." 

But  the  telegraph,  as  a  means  of  grace  and  awakening  I  Shortly 
after  the  noon-day  meetings  began  to  multiply,  simultaneous  corres- 
pondence by  telegraph  was  commenced  between  those  in  different 
cities. 

TO  THE  PHILADELPHIA  UNION  PRAYER-MEETING  IN  JAYNE's  HALL. 

New  York,  March  12, 1858—12?  o'clock^  p.  m. 

Christian  Brethren — The  New  York  John  street  Union  Meeting 
sends  you  greeting  in  brotherly  love  : 

"  And  the  inhabitants  of  one  city  shall  go  to  another,  saying,  Let 
us  go  speedily  to  pray  before  the  Lord,  and  to  seek  the  Lord  of 
Hosts — I  will  go  also." 

"  Praise  the  Lord — call  upon  his  name — declare  his  doings  among 
the  people — make  mention  that  his  name  is  exalted." 

Benj.  P  Manieere,  )  j^^^^^_ 
Cephas  Brainard,    ) 

To  this  dispatch,  the  following  reply  was  received  and  read  to  the 
meeting  in  John  street : — 

To  George  P.  Edgar,  for  John  street  meeting: 

Philadelphia,  Marc7i  13, 12  i  d' clock,  p.  n*. 

Jayne's  Hall  Daily  Prayer-Meeting  is  crowded;  upwards  of  3000 
present;  with  one  mind  and  heart  they  glorify  our  Father  in  heaven 
for  the  mighty  work  he  is  doing  in  our  city  and  country,  in  the  build- 
ing up  of  saints  and  the  conversion  of  sinners.  The  Lord  hath  done 
great  things  for  us,  whence  joy  to  us  is  brought.  May  lie  who  holds 
the  seven  stars  in  his  right  hand,  and  who  walks  in  the  midst  of  the 
churches,  be  with  you  by  His  Spirit  this  day. 

Grace,  mercy  and  peace  be  with  you. 

Geo.  H.  Stuart,  Chairman  of  Meeting 


31)6  SPmiT    OF    THE    MEETIIs^GS    IN    NEW    YORK. 

At  many  of  the  telegraph  offices  in  this  city,  as  also  in  other  places, 
messages  have  been  sent  to  all  parts  of  the  country,  announcing  con- 
versions, and  that  many  of  them  have  been  exceedingly  tender  and 
touching.  Some  have  been  as  follows:  "Dear  mother,  the  revival 
continues,  and  I,  too,  have  been  converted."  ''  My  dear  parents,  you 
will  rejoice  to  hear  that  I  have  found  peace  with  God."  "  Tell  my 
sister  that  I  have  come  to  the  cross  of  Christ."  "  At  last  I  have 
faith  and  peace."  Many  young  men,  engaged  in  bnsmess  in  this  city, 
have  sent  such  news  to  their  homes  in  New  England,  Many  of  the 
dispatches  mention  that  letters,  containing  more  full  information  and 
details,  will  follow  by  mail. 

The  following  is  the  order  of  closing  hymns  agreed  upon  to  be 
sung  in  concert  at  all  the  prayer-meetings  in  the  various  cities  and 
towns  where  they  are  held  for  the  week  designated: 

Monday,  March  29— "I  love  thy  kingdom,  Lord." 
Tuesday,  Marcli  30 — "  Before  Jehovah's  awful  throne." 
Wednesday,  March  81 — "  Jesus  at  thy  command." 
Thursday,  April  1 — "Jesus  shall  reign  where'er  the  sun." 
Friday,  April  2 — "  How  divine,  all  love  exceeding." 
Saturday,  April  3 — ''Jerusalem!  my  happy  home!" 

Demand  for  Hymn-Books  and  Tracts. — One  of  the  incidental 
effects  of  the  large  religions  meetings  held  every  day  in  various 
quarters  of  the  city  has  been  to  increase  to  an  unusual  degree  the 
demand  for  hymn-books  to  be  used  in  the  devotional  exercises  of 
the  meetings,  and  tracts  to  be  distributed  by  persons  who  take  an 
active  part  in  promoting  the  movement.  The  hymn-book  in  general 
use  in  the  prayer-meetings  is  a  little  collection,  common  in  Sunday 
schools,  that  can  be  bought  for  a  few  cents,  and  thus  scattered  in 
great  numbers  through  the  pews  at  a  trifling  cost.  The  depository 
of  tlie  Tract  house  is  thronged  daily  with  ladies  and  gentlemen 
selecting  and  purchasing  tracts  and  books  for  distribution  among 
their  friends  and  in  destitute  localities  of  the  city. 

The  whole  perj^lexity  how  to  have  good  church  music,  is  solved  by 
hearing  one  hymn  sung  in  the  Chambers  street  or  John  street  prayer- 
meeting.  The  observer  will  be  struck  with  the  unity  of  time  and 
movement  throughout  that  vast  and  unschooled  chorus.  Not  a  voice 
can  be  heard  to  "  drag,"  on  the  most  familiar  air  that  has  been 


^'what's  the  news?"  397 

drawled  out  in  sleepy  meetings  for  a  hundred  years.  Every  note  is 
awake,  prompt  and  eager  in  its  rhythmical  place.  The  physical  im- 
perfections of  voice  and  ear,  which,  in  a  choir  of  from  twenty  to 
fifty  persons,  might  be  almost  intolerable,  are  as  little  thought  of  as 
the  hoarser  notes  in  the  thunder  of  the  ocean  or  the  roar  of  the 
forest. 

GOOD     NEWS. 

At  one  of  the  great  meetings  for  prayer,  h.eld  at  midday  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  a  gentleman  from  Philadelphia  rose  and  read  the 
following  hymn.  He  stated  the  singular  fact  that  it  was  written 
by  a  young  man  in  Scotland,  whose  mind  had  become  shattered  and 
broken,  but  which,  on  the  single  subject  of  religion,  still  remained 
calm  and  clear.  The  Sun  of  Righteousness  shed  a  holy  light  into 
that  darkened  mind,  and  filled  that  troubled  soul  with  peace.  In 
one  of  his  tranquil  and  happy  moods  he  wrote  the  following  lines. 
After  this  explanation,  the  speaker  proceeded  to  read  them,  and  the 
effect  upon  the  crowded  audience  was  thrilling. 

Where'er  -we  meet,  you  always  say, 

What's  the  news  ?  what's  the  news? 
Pray,  what's  the  order  of  the  day  ? 

What's  the  news?  what's  the  news?  » 

Oh  !  I  have  got  good  news  to  tell ; 
My  Saviour  hath  done  all  things  well, 
And  triumphed  over  death  and  hell. 

That's  the  news  !  that's  the"  news  ! 

The  Lamb  was  slain  on  Calvary, 

That's  the  news !  that's  the  news ! 
'  To  set  a  world  of  sinners  free. 

That's  the  news  !  that's  the  news  ! 
'Twas  there  His  precious  blood  was  shed, 
'Twas  there  He  bowed  His  sacred  head ; 
But  now  He's  risen  from  the  dead, 

That's  the  news  !  that's  the  news ! 

To  heav'n  above  the  Conqueror's  gone, 
That's  the  news  !  that's  the  news  ! 


398  SPIRIT    OF   THE    MEETINGS    IN    NEW    YOKK. 

He's  passed  triumphant  to  His  throne, 
That's  the  news  !  that's  the  news ! 

And  on  that  throne  He  will  remain 

Until,  as  Judge  He  comes  again, 

Attended  by  a  dazzling  train, 

That's  the  news  !  that's  the  news ! 

His  work's  reviving  all  around — 
That's  the  news  !  that's  the  news ! 

And  many  have  redemption  found — 
That's  the  news  !  thafs  the  news  ! 

And  since  their  souls  have  caught  the  flame, 

They  shout  Hosanna  to  His  name  ; 

And  all  around  they  spread  His  fame — 
That's  the  news  !  that's  the  news ! 

The  Lord  lias  pardoned  all  my  sin — 
That's  the  news  !  that's  the  news ! 
I  feel  the  witness  now  within — 

That's  the  news  !  that's  the  news ! 
And  since  He  took  my  sins  away. 
And  taught  me  how  to  watch  and  pray, 
I'm  happy  now  from  day  to  day — 
That's  the  news  !  that's  the  news  ! 

And  Christ  the  Lord  can  save  you,  too — 
That's  the  news  !  thatls  the  news  ! 
•  Your  sinful  heart  He  can  renew — 

That's  the  news!  that's  the  news! 
This  moment,  if  for  sins  you  grieve, 
This  moment,  if  you  do  believe, 
A  full  acquittal  you'll  receive — 
That's  the  news  !  that's  the  news! 

And  now,  if  any  one  should  say, 

What's  the  news?  what's  the  news? 
Oh,  tell  them  you've  begun  to  pray — 
That's  the  news  !  that's  the  news  ! 
That  you  have  joined  the  conquering  band, 
And  now  with  joy  at  God's  command. 
You're  marching  to  the  better  land— 
That's  the  news !  that's  the  news  I 


The  following  hymn  was  read  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Cook,  at  the  lunm 
prayer-meeting  in  the  Ninth  street  Reformed  Dutch  Church.     *'  Just 
as  I  am"  has  been  much  blessed  in  the  revival  in  this  city  :  perhaps* 
this  form  of  invitation  may  carry  peace  to  some  soul,  with  the  Holy 
Spirit's  blessing. 

"  JUST   AS   THOU   ART."    ' 
Counterpart  of  the  beautiful  hymn,  ^^Just  as  lam..''^ 

Just  as  thou  art — without  one  trace 
Of  love,  or  joy,  or  inward  grace, 
Or  meetness  for  the  heavenly  place, 
0,  guilty  sinner,  come. 

Thy  sins  I  bore  on  Calvary's  tree ; 
The  stripes  thy  due  wei*e  laid  on  me, 
That  peace  and  pardon  might  be  free — 
0,  wretched  sinner  come. 

Burdened  with  guilt,  would's-t  thou  be  blest? 
Trust  not  the  world;  it  gives  no  rest: 
I  bring  relief  to  hearts  opprest — 
0,  weary  sinner,  come. 

Come,  leave  thy  burden  at  the  cross ; 
Count  all  thy  gains  but  empty  dross; 
My  grace  repays  all  earthly  loss  — 
0,  needy  sinner,  come. 

Come,  hither  bring  thy  boding  fears. 
Thy  aching  heart,  thy  bursting  tears : 
'Tis  mercy's  voice  salutes  thine  ears  ; 
0,  trembling  sinner,  come. 

"  The  Spirit  and  the  bride  say.  Come," 
Rejoicing  saints  re-echo.  Come  ; 
Who  faints,  who  thirsts,  who  will,  may  come  ; 
Thy  Saviour  bids  thee  come. 

TO  PARENTS  IX  THE  COUNTRY. 

The    "Committee  on  Devotional  Meetings"  of  the  New  York 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  have  issued  a  circular,  addressed 


400  SPIRIT   OF   THE   MEETINGS   IN   NEW   YOEK. 

to  parents  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  who  have  children  in 
business  in  this  cit3\  The  object  of  the  circular  is  to  gain  from  the 
•parents  the  address  (either  business  or  residence)  of  young  men  who 
are  not  connected  with  the  Christian  Association,  or  with  any  of  the 
churches  in  the  city,  and  who  would  be  profited  by  a  friendly  call 
from  some  member  of  the  Committee  for  the  purpose  of  religious 
conversation.  If  any  father  or  mother  will  send  a  letter  addressed 
"  E.,'  Box  No.  3,841,  giving  the  necessary  directions,  the  person 
designated  will  receive  a  personal  invitation  to  attend  the  daily  noon 
prayer-meetings,  and  similar  meetings  held  at  other  hours  of  the  day 
in  various  parts  of  the  city  for  the  benefit  of  young  men.  The 
Committee  say  in  their  circular,  "  Information  from  any  of  our 
friends  at  a  distance,  as  to  what  is  being  doing  among  them,  sent  to 
the  above  address,  will  be  gratefully  received." 

RELIGIOUS    TRACT    CARDS. 

Printed  cards,  of  which  the  following  is  a  copy,  have  been  exten- 
sively circulated  among  the  attendants  at  the  John  street  meetings  : 

"  The  following  lines  were  copied  from  a  very  old  moss-covered  tomb- 
stone in  Devonshire,  England.  Who  the  author  was  is  not  known  to  the 
person  who  has  caused  them  to  be  printed  on  this  card.  The  Day  of 
Judgment  will  reveal  the  fact,  and  also  another  fact,  viz.,  whether  the 
reader  has  been  led  to  love  the  Saviour  or  reject  him  : 

'  Christ  is  the  Way.  the  Truth,  the  Life  divine  ; 
Seek  thou  on  earth  to  take  this  Christ  as  thine  : 
For  he  that  lives  in  Christ,  in  Christ  shall  die, 
And  dwell  with  Christ  in  Heaven  eternally.'  " 

A  card,  with  the  title  "  Come  !  Come  !  !  Come  I  !  I  Let  him 
thot  heareth  say  come,"  has  been  issued  for  gratuitous  distribution. 

Escapades  of  ill-taught  zeal  have  been  surprisingly  rare  in  all  these 
great  and  enthusiastic  meetings.  This  is  owing  to  the  solemnizing 
power  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  the  weighty  earnestness  which  He 
imparts.  It  was  reported  that  some  enthusiastic  youth  cried  out  in 
tlie  Chamber  street  meeting  one  day,  that  "  Edwin  Forrest,  tk  greatest 
rictor  in  Atmrica,^^  had  been  converted.  Whether  Mr.  Forrest  be  a 
"great"  man  in  any  sense  or  not,  is  a  matter  of  no  consequence  to 
Christians.     His  soul  is  as  precious  as  any  other  man's,  and  that  is 


THE   rOLTGEMEN's   MEETING.  401 

all.  "  Not  many  mighty  are  called,"  for  the  Spirit  of  God  has  no 
need  of  their  might.  Requests  of  special  prayer  for  the  conver- 
sion of  distinguished  per>:onages,  such  as  Archbishop  Hughes,  Pre- 
sident Buchanan,  and  the  like,  which  are  sometimes  presented,  are 
open  to  a  like  criticism.  No  Christian  who  has  "  faith  as  a  grain 
of  mustard  seed  "  in  the  infinite  power  of  the  Captain  of  Salvation, 
will  be  peculiarly  concerned  for  the  conversion  of  any  man  because 
he  is  great  in  this  world.  All  such  things  as  these  are  follies  of  the 
unregenerate  mind,  that  furnish  the  adversary  of  revivals  with  real 
scandals  on  which  to  build  a  multitude  of  fictitious  ones,  against  a 
lively  religion. 

THE    policemen's    MEETING. 

The  Polictmen  of  the  Seventeenth  Ward,  some  fifty  in  number, 
having  lately  intimated  through  their  captain,  Mr.  Hartt,  a  desire  to 
attend  a  religious  meeting  appointed  specially  for  their  own  benefit, 
were  invited  to  assemble  on  Monday,  March  29th,  in  Dr.  Hiscox's 
Church,  in  Stanton  street  (Baptist). 

At  half-past  two  o'clock  the  church  was  crovvded,  principally  by 
the  families  and  acquaintances  of  the  policemen.  Capt.  Hartt  sat 
at  one  side  of  the  communion  table,  and  Capt.  Steers  of  the  Nine- 
teenth Ward  at  the  other.  Capt.  Coulter  of  the  Twenty-second 
Ward,  Seabring  of  the  Ninth,  Sergeant  Johns  of  the  Metropolitan 
Police  Office,  and  Police  Surgeon  Ives,  were  also  present.  Half  the 
body  pews  were  filled  with  policemen  in  uniform.  Drs.  Hiscox, 
Lathrop  and  Smith,  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Sanderson,  Thompson  and 
Horton,  were  in  the  pulpit. 

Dr.  Hiscox,  previous  to  announcing  the  second  hymn,  said  that  the 
first  suggestion  of  this  meeting  came,  so  far  as  he  was  aware,  from 
Capt.  Hartt.  It  was  the  first  religious  meeting  of  policemen  which 
he  had  ever  known.  All  the  pastors  of  the  Ward  had  been  invited 
to  be  present,  and  most  of  them  complied  with  the  invitation. 

Dr.  Smith  of  the  Seventh  avenue  and  Fourteenth  street  Church, 
said  that  a  few  days  ago,  while  he  was  out  of  town,  two  policemen 
came  to  his  house  to  see  him.  On  his  return,  he  was  told«of  it  ;  he 
could  not  remember  that  he  had  done  anything  which  required  their 
presence,  but  one  of  his  servants  was  considerably  anxious.     How 


402  THE  poltce^vien's  meeting. 

surprised  and  delighted  was  he  when  they  came  again,  and  he  found 
that  they  had  come  as  representatives  of  the  force,  to  invite  him  to 
participate  in  a  meeting  like  this  ?  *  *  *  But  a  little  time  and 
their  names  would  be  stricken  not  only  from  the  police  force,  but 
from  the  book  of  the  living.  Let  them  make  this  the  first  purpose 
of  their  minds — to  seek  the  means  of  salvation,  and  then  they  would 
hear  how  to  obtain  eternal  life. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Horton,  Tract  Missionary  of  the  Ward,  said  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Ward  who  belonged  to  nobody's  parish  belonged 
to  his.  Policemen  had  peculiar  responsibilities,  and  no  where  was 
enjoyment  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  more  necessary  than  in  a 
pohceman.  The  idea  had  been  imbibed  in  some  public  minds  that  it 
was  incompatible  with  the  duties  of  a  pohceman  to  have  a  Christian 
heart  under  his  coat.  It  seemed  to  them  that  the  mild  principles  of 
the  Saviour  would  not  fit  men  to  carry  the  stern  mandates  of  the 
law  into  execution.  But  Cornelius  was  not  a  worse  centurion  for  his 
Christianity. 

Dr.  Hiscox  said  they  had  come  to  speak  to  them  of  the  soul's  sal- 
vation, and  to  exhort  them  to  become  reconciled  to  God,  and  hoping 
that  they  might  meet  again  in  a  better  life.  They  were  here  hot  as 
officers  and  men,  but  as  poor  helpless  sinners  in  the  sight  of  God. 
Could  he  take  them  back  of  the  church  and  unveil  the  dead  to  them, 
would  they  be  able  to  tell  who  wore  broadcloth,  and  who  wore 
sackcloth  ?  They  would  leave  this  church  in  a  few  moments.  They 
would  soon  leave  this  world.  He  rejoiced  to  know  that  some  of 
them  had  hopes  of  another  and  a  better  life,  and  desired  that  all 
their  names  might  be  written  in  the  Lamb's  book  of  life.  Might 
they  go  home,  gather  their  households  around  them,  and  resolve 
that  they  would  give  their  hearts  to  God.  Let  them  do  their 
duties  faithfully  to  their  God,  and  they  would  do  them  well  to  this 
city  and  to  their  fellow-men.  The  peculiar  dangers  to  which  they 
were  exposed  had  particularly  struck  him.  Poor  Anderson  !  Har.  en- 
brook  !  At  what  unexpected  hour  might  the  news  come  to  us  that 
some  of  them  had  fallen  in  the  discharge  of  their  duty.  If  the 
voice  should  come  to-night,  could  they  say  :  "  There  is  my  home  and 
portion  fair" — my  friends,  my  treasures,  my  hopes  in  heaven  ?  No 
class  of  the  community  saw  the  fruits  of  sin  more  sadly  realized  than 


HOW    IT   CAME   TO    PASS.  403 

they — revelry,  desperation,  crime,  and  iniquity.  Their  life  was  in 
strange  contrast  with  the  harmony  of  the  house  of  God.  They  sa,w 
the  works  of  sin.  Now,  was  it  better  to  gather  where  the  scoffers 
and  transgressors  sat,  or  to  sit  in  tlie  house  of  God  ?  A\niicli  was 
better — to  serve  God  or  to  forget  him  ?  Let  them  make  sure  of  an 
inheritance  in  the  rich  blessings  of  eternal  life.  May  heaven's 
richest  blessings  lead  them  and  their  children  to  the  cross  of  Christ, 
and  all  they  loved  be  gathered  with  them  into  the  covenant  of 
sovereign  grace.  Eternity  would  soon  be  all  that  was  left  us  ;  time 
would  soon  pass  like  a  dream  of  the  night  ;  the  body  would  moulder 
into  dust  ;  the  soul  and  God  would  be  all  that  would  be  left,  and 
they  would  be  eternal.  Shall  we  neglect  the  soul  and  forget  God  ? 
;Might  the  mercy  of  our  God  be  their  support  here  amid  the  trials 
of  life,  and  sustain  them  in  all  its  dangers.  He  thanked  them  for 
their  care  of  our  homes  and  our  interests — watchmeti  for  us  and  our 
welfare  by  day  and  by  night  ;  and  when  we  bowed  dov.m  to  worship 
at  our  household  altars,  we  would  remember  them,  and  when  in  our 
sanctuaries  we  met  to  worship,  wdiere  they  were  almost  forbid  by 
necessity  to  come,  we  would  remember  them,  and  pray  that  we  may 
meet  them  in  a  fairer  and  a  better  land,  where  sin  should  not  cor- 
rupt its  purity  or  pollute  its  joy,  and  where  nothing  unholy  should 
ever  come. 

Capt.  Hartt. — I  can  but  feel,  my  dear  friends,  to  return  thanks  in 
behalf  of  our  brother  officers  to  you,  and,  most  of  all,  to  the  minis- 
ters who  have  spoken  to  us.  I  could  but  feel  that  their  words  of 
kindness  and  mercy  were  like  the  dew  of  Heaven.  How  different 
from  that  which  we  are  constantly  called  upon  to  experience  !  And 
let  me  say  we  are  policemen,  and  we  feel  that,  hke  a  leper  spotted 
of  old,  we  are  almost  shut  out  of  the  house  of  the  Lord,  and  so  we 
thought  we  would  obtain  the  consent  of  the  Commissioners  of  Police 
to  come  here,  and  then  we  set  about  to  find  out  how  we  should  bi-ing 
it  about.  It  was  not  a  little  difficult  to  get  up  these  notices,  for  it 
was  altogether  a  new  thing.  When  we  went  after  them,  I  think 
that  the  Lord  had  prepared  the  way,  and  prepared  the  hearts  of  all 
for  it.  The  time  has  not  yet  come  for  the  lion  and  the  lamb  to  lie 
down  together,  and  there  is  not  any  appearance  of  it  for  a  long  time 
to  come.     Let  me  ask  you  now,  as  we  are  about  to  separate,  and, 


404: 

as  our  reverend  brother  says,  we  may  never  meet  again,  let  me  ask 
you  what  is  our  answer  to  the  great  question  ?  Is  your  answer  this  : 
*'  I  v/ill  arise  and  goto  my  father."  Are  yon  ready  to  set  out  to-day 
and  serve  the  Lord — to  make  that  your  portion  ?  Are  you  ready  to 
join  yourself  to  the  hosts  of  Israel  ?  Are  you  ready  to  go,  or  not  ? 
We  shall  all  answer  this  question,  most  assuredly.  In  the  first  place 
I  said  to  myself  that  I  didn't  feel  like  going  to  the  judgment  without 
extending  to  you  an  invitation  to  go  with  me.  Let  me  ask  here, 
are  you  ready  to-day  ;  shall  it  be  said  of  you  and  me  that  we  are  on' 
the  road  to  ruin  ?  Let  me  say  that  we  have  known  many  in  this 
very  ward.  For  a  long  while  they  have  gone  down,  till  at  last  they 
are  bound  by  the  strong  arm  of  the  law,  and  to-day  they  are  clothed 
in  the  zebra-cloth.  S'o  it  may  be  with  us  ;  we  may  go  a  long  time, 
but  at  the  last  an  injured  God  will  call  us  to  judgment,  and  we  shall 
be  met  at  last  as  the  angel  met  the  prophet  of  the  Lord,  when  he 
told  him  to  curse  Israel,  so  that  we  cannot  turn  aside.  Oh,  may 
the  Lord  so  deal  with  us,  that  we,  policemen,  may  not  be  left  out, 
but  gathered  in  one  bundle,  the  bundle  of  eternal  life,  and  be  wel- 
comed to  the  city  of  life  everlasting. 

Dr.  Smith  expressed  an  earnest  desire  that  the  meeting  should  bo 
continued,  and  after  a  prayer  and  benediction,  the  first  policeman's 
meeting  ever  held  was  ended. 


The  second  religious  meeting  for  Policemen  was  held  April  tth, 
at  the  Stanton  street  Baptist  Church,  the  Rev.  Mepsrs.  Hiscox, 
Stewart,  Sawyer,  Roach  and  Dodge  participated  in  the  exercises. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Roach  related  an  efTecting  incident  which  occurred 
not  long  ago.  A  lady  was  on  the  point  of  going  forward  for  pray- 
ers, when  her  husband  said,  ''  not  to-night,  wife,  not  to-night,  the 
cards  are  out  for  Friday,  wait  till  after  the  party  and  then  we'll  go 
forward  together."  She  didn't  go  forward,  but  on  Friday  night, 
while  her  guests  were  dining  at  her  house,  that  interesting  lady 
expired,  and  they  arrived  in  time  only  to  see  her  corpse,  and  the 
agony  of  her  husband. 

Sergeant  Johns  of  the  Metropolitan  Police  Office,  said  that  he 
thanked  God  that  he  found  the  Saviour  some  eighteen  months  ago, 
in  the  John-street  Church.     One  dny,  when  he  was  patroling  Broad- 


CONVERSIONS.  405 

way,  he  was  using  God's  name  very  profanely,  and  an  old  woman 
came  along — it  was  in  front  of  Trinity  Church — and  stopped.  The 
pohceman  who  was  with  him  asked  her  if  she  wanted  anything  of 
them,  and  she  said  that  she  had  stopped  to  hear  that  officer  swear 
so.  It  made  a  great  impression  upon  him.  Some  time  after  that 
he  moved  into  a  house  with  a  neighbor  who  was  a  good  Christian 
woman.  Then  he  began  to  go  to  church,  and  he  said  : — "At  last  I 
said,  I  can't  stand  it  any  longer  ;  I  can't  go  home  without  going  to 
tliat  altar  ;"  and  I  said  to  my  companion,  "Wife,  let  us  go  and  lay 
off  the  cares  of  this  world."  The  most  trouble  to  me  is,  I  am  some- 
times a  Httle  nervous  ;  but  I  tell  you  I  do  love  the  Lord,  and  I  tell 
you  my  whole  heart's  desire  is  to  serve  Him.  Many  and  many  a 
prayer  I  have  offered  up  for  you,  my  brother  officers.  I  mean  to 
continue  to  offer  them  up,  and  wish  that  every  man  in  the  depart- 
ment was  a  Christian.  0  what  a  police  we  would  have  !  How  the 
city  would  rejoice  !  I  hope  you  will  pray  for  me  ;  I  will  remember 
you.  I  make  it  a  duty  to  pray  for  all  classes,  all  sects  and  denom- 
inations, even  the  heathen — even  those  who  are  shut  up  in  prison. 
Pray  for  me  that  I  may  be  faithful  even  until  death. 

A  pohceman's  wife  spoke  of  the  trials  of  policemen's  wives.  She 
said  that,  instead  of  lying  down  quietly  at  night  to  sleep,  they  were 
tossed  about  with  cares  and  anxiety.  The  policeman's  wife  did  not 
know  at  what  moment  her  husband  might  be  brought  in  a  lifeless 
corpse.  It  was  her  constant  prayer  that  policemen  might  be  saved. 
She  did  hope  that  prayer-meetings  for  policemen  might  be  continued. 

A  policeman  from  Brooklyn  said  that  he  felt  rather  embarrassed 
at  appearing  in  this  house  with  his  uniform  on.  Sixteen  years  ago 
he  gave  his  heart  to  God  ;  he  had  since  turned  to  the  ways  of  the 
world,  but  now  desired  to  return  again,  and  he  asked  the  prayers  of 
all  present. 

After  the  meeting  a  large  number  of  the  laws  and  ordinances  of 
the  State  and  Corporation  in  relation  to  the  observance  of  the  Sab- 
bath were  examined. 

THE    FIRE    DEPARTMENT. 

The  Xew  York  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  have  issued  a 
circular  to  the  officers  and  members  of  the  Fire  Department  of  this 


406  APPEAL   TO   FIEEMEN. 

city,  the  object  of  which  was  to  invite  them  to  attend  some  of  the 
various  prayer-meetings,  and  disignating  the  hours  and  places  at 
which  the  meetings  are  held.  The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  cir- 
cular : 


"  To  tlie  Fire  Department  of  our  City : 

"  Gentlemen  :  Through  your  worthy  foreman,  we  would  heg  to  pre- 
sent our  kind  regards  to  you  as  a  department  and  as  individuals.  Wo 
know  full  well  that  your  calling  is  a  self-sacrificing  one  (for  we  have  in 
our  ranks  many  who  in  days  past  and  at  present  the  Fire  Department 
were  proud  to  recognize  as  fellow-members),  and  one,  the  prosecution  of 
which  subjects  you  to  dangers  and  hardships,  and  at  the  same  time  gives 
an  opportunity  of  displaying  that  noble  heroism  which  entitles  you  to 
the  respect  and  admiration  of  our  fellow-citizens. 

"  You  will  agree  with  us,  we  think,  that  there  are  many  among  you 
who,  by  force  of  circumstances,  do  not  have  all  the  advantages  of  moral 
and  religious  enjoyment,  which  every  one  so  much  needs,  and  without 
which  he  is  a  great  loser. 

"  To  have  these  pleasures  the  '  House  of  God'  should  not  be  neglected; 
it  is  a  fact,  we  think,  that  many  noble  and  generous-hearted  young  men 
seldom  attend  church,  not  from  want  of  early  education  by  faithful 
parental  care  in  this  direction,  or  present  denial  of  the  advantages  flow- 
ing from  attention  to  those  matters  which  pertain  to  the  future  interests 
of  all.  We  recognize  the  reason  of  non-attendance  upon  these  duties  to 
be  the  force  of  habit. 

"  We  would  be  happy  to  have  so  many  of  you  as  may  be  able,  attend 
the  '  Central  Presbyterian  church  "  (Broome  street,  opposite  Centre  Alar- 
ket),  on  Thursday  evening,  March  18,  at  7^  o'clock,  to  listen  to  addresses 
from  the  Rev.  A.  A.  Wood,  of  the  Central  Presbyterian  church ;  the 
Rev,  Thomas  Armitage,  of  the  Norfolk-street  Baptist  church,  and  the 
Rev.  R,  M.  Hatfield,  of  the  Forsyth-street  Methodist  church. 

"  We  assume  that  it  has  not  escaped  your  notice  of  late  that  all  the 
people  are  giving  more  attention  to  these  things  than  in  times  past.  We 
hope  it  will  be  but  a  short  time  before  every  young  man  in  our  city  will 
call  his  neighbor  'brother.' 

"Come  as  suits  your  convenience  best,  whether  in  fire  or  citizens' 
dress,  but  Come!  Come! !  Come! ! !   'let  him  that  heareth,  say,  Come.' 

"  We  inclose  a  few  slips,  whicli  might  be  placed  upon  the  tables  of 
your  Committee  Rooms,  if  you  see  proper.  Our  Reading-rooms  are  open 
daily,  from  8  A.M.  to  10^  P.M.  All  are  welcome  who  may  feel  inclined 
to  visit  them.  The  librarian  in  attendance  will  furnish  documents,  and 
give  all  needed  information  regarding  our  Association." 

By  invitation  of  several  prominent  members  of  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment, and  other  gentlemen  interested  \\\  its  wclfiire,  Rev.  William 
P.  Corbit,  pastor  of  the  First  Mariner's  (M.  E.)  church  in  this  city, 
preached  a  sermon  on  Suuday  evening,  at  tlie  Academy  of  Music,  to 


rKEACIIING   TO   TlIE   FIREMEN.  407 

the  firemen  of  New  York.  The  audience  was  undoubtedly  tlie 
largest  ever  addressed,  within  walls,  upon  a  religious  topic,  in  this 
country.  The  capacious  building  was  never  more  crowded.  Long 
before  the  commencement  of  the  exercises,  every  seat  was  taken,  and 
finally  all  the  standing  room  in  the  aisles  and  doorways^ was  densely 
packed,  and  hundreds  were  unable  to  obtain  an  entrance.  Mr.  Cor- 
bit  spoke  for  an  hour  and  twenty-five  minutes,  in  a  very  ornate  and 
flowery  style,  as  appears  by  the  report.  The  audience  signified  their 
approbation,  on  one  occasion,  by  a  grand  round  of  applause.  No- 
thing less  than  a  wisdom  from  above,  can  meet  the  exigencies  of  a 
time  of  religious  awakening,  and  enable  men  truly  to  work  with,  and 
not  against  the  divine  Spirit.  Prayer  should  be  offered  continually 
for  the  imparting  of  such  wisdom  to  all  who  lead  or  minister  in 
divine  things. 

THE    PHILADELPHIA    FIREMEN. 

The  following  is  a  statement  of  the  numbers  who  attended  public 
worship,  upon  a  recent  occasion,  at  National  Hall.  The  list  of  fire 
companies,  and  the  number  in  attendance,  were  :  Good  Will  Engine 
Company,  210;  Good  Will  Hose,  75;  Good  Intent  Hose,  29;  War- 
ren Hose,  70;  Western  Engine,  52;  Spring  Garden  Engine,  60; 
Spring  Garden  Hose,  25;  Fairmount  Hose,  42;  American  Engine, 
34;  American  Hose,  30;  West  Philadelphia  Hose,  45;  Taylor  Hose, 
30;  Munroe  Engine,  29;  Weccacoe  Engine,  115;  Robert  Morris 
Hose,  39;  Cohocksink  Hose,  64;  Empire  Hook  and  Ladder,  39; 
Reliance  Engine,  30;  Washington  Engine,  70;  Washington  Hose, 
40;  Columbia  Engine,  64;  Columbia  Hose,  64;  Friendship  Engine, 
30;  West  Philadelphia  Engine,  60;  Schuylkill  Hose,  30;  Vigilant 
Hose,  30;  Diligence  Hose,  50;  Humane  Hose,  20;  Mechanic  Engine, 
30;  Southwark  Engine,  30;  Assistance  Engine,  40;  South  Penn 
Hose,  30;  Independent  Hose,  51;  Union  Hose,  29;  Niagara  Hose, 
25;  Pennsylvania  Hose,  30;  William  Penn  Hose,  50.    Total,  1,779. 

On  a  recent  Sabbath  evening  the  members  of  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment of  Poughkeepsie,  assembled  in  the  Mill-street  church,  and  were 
addressed  by  the  Rev,  Mr.  Holman,  with  great  acceptance. 


408  PEAYEK   m   STOEES   AND   SCHOOLS. 

PRAYER     MEETINGS    IN    STORES. 

Ill  conuectioa  with  the  stores  and  counting-rooms  of  several  of 
our  most  prominent  merchants,  private  prajer-meetings  have  been 
organized  within  a  few  weeks  past  for  the  benefit  of  the  clerks  and 
other  employees.  They  are  held  in  some  retired  place  in  the  build- 
ing, secure  from  public  intrusion,  and  have  been  of  great  interest  and 
profit  to  those  who  have  attended.  Some  years  ago  a  young  man 
from  New  England  came  to  this  city,  and  was  employed  as  a  clerk 
in  a  dry-goods  house  down  town.  Shortly  after  his  engagement,  he 
came  to  his  employer  with  the  statement  that  some  of  the  clerks 
were  seriously  interested  in  the  subject  of  personal  piety,  and  re- 
quested that  a  small  upper  room  in  the  building  might  be  set  apart 
and  furnished,  to  be  used  exclusively  as  a  place  of  retirement  to 
which  the  various  individuals  connected  with  the  establishment 
might  resort  for  religious  conversation,  reading  of  the  Scriptures, 
and  prayer.  This  request  was  immediately  granted,  and  the  room 
was  used  for  years  for  this  only  purpose,  resulting  in  the  conversion 
of  a  large  number  of  the  persons  who  during  that  time  came  in  and 
went  out  of  the  employ  of  the  establishment. 

THE    FREE    ACADEMY. 

A  weekly  prayer-meeting  has  been  held  at  the  Free  Academy 
since  the  Fall  of  1852.  It  was  organized  by  two  members  of  the 
Senior  Class  and  three  of  the  Junior,  all  of  whom  have  since  gra- 
duated, and  some  of  whom  have  entered  the  profession  of  the 
ministry.  The  meetings  have  been  continued  every  week  since  that 
time,  except  during  vacations,  and  at  several  periods  twice  a  week. 
They  are  held  on  Friday  afternoons,  lasting  an  hour  after  the  close 
of  the  day's  exercises.  They  are  under  the  management  and  con- 
trol of  the  students,  the  Professors  making  it  a  point  neither  to  in- 
terfere nor  to  intrude.  It  is  noticeable  that  the  students  who  have 
taken  an  interest  in  the  exercises,  have  generally  been  those  who 
were  prominent  and  successful  in  their  classes,  and  of  whom  an  un- 
usually large  proportion,  after  graduation,  have  entered  the  Christian 
ministry.  Conversions  have  occurred  in  almost  every  successive 
class  in  the  Institution,  it  is  thought  through  their  instrumentality. 


BOYS     PRAYER-MBETING.  409 

The  prayer-meetings  at  the  Free  Academy  are  increasing  in  inter- 
est. At  the  meeting  last  week  one  hundred  and  twelve  were  pre- 
sent, being  about  one-sixth  of  the  whole  number  in  the  Academy. 
Members  of  all  the  classes  attend,  and  the  meetings  are  conducted 
by  the  students,  without  either  the  supervision  or  the  presence  of  the 
instructors. 

There  has  been  from  time  to  time  much  opposition  and  more  ridi- 
cule manifested  among  the  students  toward  these  religious  gather- 
ings, a  somewhat  singular  instance  of  which  occurred  a  year  or  two 
ago.  On  one  occasion,  shortly  after  the  assembling  of  the  meeting, 
a  party  of  wild  students,  who  remained  in  the  building  in  conse- 
quence of  a  violent  rain-storm,  with  thunder  and  lightning,  deter- 
mined to  employ  the  time  in  the  annoyance  and  disturbance  of  the 
meeting.  They  accordingly  tramped  heavily  up  and  down  the  halls 
by  the  door,  striking  it  with  their  fists  as  they  passed  ;  and  though 
they  were  remonstrated  with,  it  was  to  no  purpose.  After  a  quar- 
ter of  an  hour  of  such  injudicious  sport,  a  vivid  flash  of  Kghtning, 
which  struck  in  the  neighborhood,  accompanied  with  a  terrific  peal 
of  thunder,  made  such  an  impression  upon  the  minds  of  three  of  the 
disturbers  that  they  immediately  desisted,  and  knocked  for  entrance 
to  the  meeting. 

A   PRAYER-MEETING    FOR    BOYS. 

On  Sunday  afternoou  a  Union  prayer-meeting  of  boys  was  held  in 
the  Lecture-room  of  the  Church  of  the  Puritans  (Dr.  Cheever's),  on 
Union  Square.  The  room  was  completely  filled,  the  audience  con- 
sisting chiefly  of  boys,  with  a  number  of  their  parents  and  friends. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Cheever  presided,  and  the  meeting  was  opened  with 
the  usual  order  of  devotional  exercises,  singing  and  prayer. 

The  Rev.  Theodore  L.  Cuyler  said  that  this  was  a  very  remark- 
able time.  It  seemed  as  if  all  that  Christians  had  to  do  was  to  get 
alongside  of  an  immortal  soul,  and  they  found  him  ready  to  be  taken 
hold  of,  and  waiting  for  salvation.  There  a  number  of  boys  had 
assembled,  who  offered  to  put  their  hearts  in  the  hands  of  good 
people,  and  who  asked  them  to  love  them.  'Youth  is  just  the  time 
to  commence  serving  the  Lord.  A  tree  can  always  be  well  culti- 
vated in  its  tender  years,  but  when  a  tree  gets  old  it  is  difficult  and 

18 


410  boys'  peayer-meeting. 

almost  impossible  to  fix  it  so  as  to  grow  up  properly.  Early  life  is 
the  season  in  which  to  be  pulled  out  of  the  devil's  ground,  and 
planted  in  Christ's  garden.  Faith  is  very  easy,  but  very  dangerous 
to  wait  for. 

Wm.  E.  Dodge,  Esq.,  made  a  brief  address  to  the  children. 

The  Rev.  R.  Hatfield,  said,  that  he  could  sympathize  with  the 
parents  and  friends  who  had  brought  the  boys  together,  and  who 
were  sohcitous  on  behalf  of  conversion.  He  related  also  the  story 
of  a  minister  who  was  once  preaching  to  the  inmates  of  a  prison, 
each  prisoner  being  in  his  cell,  and  not  in  sight  of  the  speaker. 
While  speaking,  he  asked  all  who  had  been  confined  there  because 
they  had  obeyed  their  parents  to  rap  on  the  doors  of  their  cells 
(they  not  being  allowed  to  speak).  He  paused,  and  all  was  silent. 
He  then  reversed  the  question,  "  How  many  are  here  because  they 
have  disobeyed  their  parents  ?"  and  the  long  corridor  resounded 
with  the  raps  upon  the  cell  doors  I  To  illustrate  how  happy  rehgion 
could  make  a  little  boy,  he  told  of  a  young  English  chimney-sweep, 
a  "  climbing  boy,"  who,  notwithstanding  the  miserable,  unhappy, 
perilous  business  in  which  he  was  engaged,  was  heard  one  day  when 
away  up  in  a  narrow  flue,  scraping  the  soot  from  the  walls,  singing 
those  beautiful  words  : 

"  The  sorrows  of  the  mind 
Be  banished  from  this  place,"  etc. 

He  concluded  by  asking  all  who  wanted  to  be  Christians  and  would 
like  an  interest  in  the  prayers  of  God's  people,  to  manifest  the 
same  by  holding  up  their  hands.  Quite  a  large  number  held  up 
their  hands.  He  then  charged  them  to  remember  what  they  had 
done. 

After  he  concluded,  prayer  was  offered  by  one  of  the  elder  boys 
present. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Marsh  asked  the  boys  whether  they  would  like  to 
meet  there  again  next  Saturday.  In  response,  every  boy  in  the 
room  held  up  his  hand  for  the  continuance  of  the  "  Boys'  Union 
Meeting.'' 


THE  JEWS  411 

THE   waiters'    prayer-meeting. 

At  one  of  our  large  restaurants,  a  gentleman  had  taken  out  a  book 
to  read  while  his  dinner  was  preparing.  On  the  arrival  of  the 
waiter  with  the  articles  he  had  called  for,  he  laid  down  his  book  ; 
when  the  waiter  said,  "  Is  that  a  Bible,  sir  ?"  "  No,"  was  the  reply; 
"  do  you  want  a  Bible  ?"  "  Yes,  sir,  I  should  like  to  have  one." 
The  gentleman  promised  to  bring  him  one  the  next  day  ;  he  did  so, 
asking  tlie  waiter  whether  he  attended  any  of  the  daily  prayer- 
meetings.  "No,  sir,  we  have  not  time,  being  engaged  here  from 
early  morning  until  late  in  the  evening :  but  at  ten  o'clock  we 
close,  and  then  all  the  waiters  have  a  prayer-meeting  in  one  of  the 
rooms  of  this  house,  and  we  know  that  good  has  resulted." 

the  jews. 

Many  Jews  have  participated  in  the  operations  of  the  present 
revival  movement.  They  have  been  in  attendance  at  nearly  all  the 
meetings  in  the  various  parts  of  the  city,  and  have  presented 
numerous  requests  for  prayers  in  their  behalf.  In  the  Twentieth 
Ward  quite  a  number  of  Jews,  of  both  sexes,  have  gone  over  to  the 
profession  of  the  Christian  faith.  One  convert  is  about  to  go  forth 
as  a  missionary  among  his  own  people.  Many  Jewish  famihes  have 
sent  their  children  to  Christian  Sunday-schools.  At  a  meeting  in 
Burton's  old  theatre,  a  few  days  ago,  a  Jew  complained  that  the 
seed  of  Abraham  had  been  neglected  in  the  prayers  of  his  Gentile 
brethren.  He  said  that  a  class  numbering  as  many  as  thirty-five  or 
thirty-six  thousand  souls  in  the  population  of  this  city  surely  had  a 
high  claim  upon  the  interest  of  Christians  in  heart.  He  begged  that 
in  future  they  be  prayed  for  at  every  meeting.  In  Brooklyn  an 
entire  family  of  Jews  were  recently  led  to  embrace  Christianity. 

the  "permanent"  movement. 

A  meeting  of  clergymen  and  laymen  took  place  !N[areh  23d,  at 
Spingler  Institute,  to  devise  means  to  perpetuate  the  present  union 
of  Christian  eflbrt  among  the  various  denominations  of  the  city,  to 
bring  religion  within  the  reach  of  the  multitudes  who  are  now  prac- 
tically excluded  by  their  condition  and  habits  from  existing  avenues. 


412  PLANS   FOR   PERMANENT   WORK. 

It  was  finally,  after  a  protracted  debate,  resolved  that  the  whole 
subject  matter  be  referred  back  to  the  committee,  Dr.  Peck,  chair- 
man, by  whom  the  present  meeting  had  been  called,  for  the  present- 
ation of  a  more  definite  plan  of  action  before  a  fuller  representation 
of  the  clergy  and  laity  of  the  various  denominations,  at  a  meeting  to 
be  called  again  soon  by  the  committee. 

At  the  last  meeting,  held  on  the  1th  inst.,  the  committee  previ- 
ously appointed  made  a  report,  proposing  that  under  the  supervision 
of  a  committee  of  ministers  and  laymen  from  each  of  the  denomina- 
tions interested,  "the  churches  be  united  in  additional  eSorts  fov 
the  salvation  of  souls,  by  opening  and  sustaining  places  of  worship, 
where  they  are  needed,  for  the  benefit  of  the  destitute  ;  and  it  is 
recommended  that  the  committee  purchase  and  fit  up  a  tent,  which 
may  be  located,  at  difi'erent  times,  in  such  places  as  they  shall  deem 
best  for  the  purposes  specified  ;  to  provide  preaching  in  such  tent 
at  least  once  on  the  Sabbath,  by  ministers  of  the  different  evangel- 
ical denominations,  alternating  as  regularly  as  practicable  ;  and 
establish  Sunday  Schools,  and  appoint  Union  prayer-meetings  and 
other  religious  services." 

At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
connected  with  the  North  Presbyterian  Church  (Rev.  Dr.  E.  F. 
Hatfield's),  corner  of  Ninth  avenue  and  Thirty-first  street,  it  was 
arranged  to  make  a  thorough  canvass  of  the  Sixteenth  and  Twen- 
tieth wards,  with  a  view  to  aid  in  the  promotion  of  the  revival  of 
religion  manifesting  itself  in  that  portion  of  the  city.  Accordingly, 
about  forty  young  men,  members  of  that  Association,  entered  into 
the  work. 

THE    EFFECT    IN   THE    CITY. 

The  "  Great  Revival,"  as  all  men  call  it,  is  now  an  absorbing 
topic  even  for  ordinary  conversation.  The  religious  meetings  that 
are  held  in  various  parts  of  the  city  during  every  day,  are  matters 
of  common  and  street  talk.  Notices  of  meetings  for  prayer  and 
other  religious  exercises  have  been  publicly  plo.carded  in  many  of  the 
places  where  handbills  are  usually  posted.     In  many  counting-rooms 


EESULTS   OF   SYSTEMATIC   VISITATION.  413 

and  stores,  similar  printed  advertisements  have  been  hung  up,  call- 
ing the  attention  of  business  men  and  others  to  the  devotional  eon- 
vocations.  In  addition  to  these,  tracts  have  been  distributed  in  the 
cars,  in  the  omnibuses,  and  in  the  ferry-boats,  calling  the  attention 
of  the  chance  reader  to  the  subject  of  religion,  quoting  passages 
from  the  Scriptures,  and  giving  notices  of  meetings.  Such  tracts 
have  even  been  dropped  on  the  pavements  of  the  streets,  for  passers- 
by  to  pick  up — so  that  "  he  who  runs  may  read."  The  attendance 
on  the  Sabbath  at  the  churches,  has  been  for  several  weeks  past, 
unusually  large. 

"  SYSTEMATIC   VISITATION." 

This  enterprise  was  started  under  the  auspices  of  the  New  Yoi4 
Sunday-School  Union.  One  thousand  church  members  were  called 
into  the  field  as  Sabbath-School  teachers,  and  two  thousand  more  as 
visitors.  During  the  last  summer,  the  Sabbath  Schools  in  all  por- 
tions of  the  city  were  attended  as  they  had  never  been  before  during 
the  warm  season. 

Every  month  during  the  summer  brought  a  large  number  of  con- 
versions among  these  young  people.  In  about  one  hundred  and 
forty  schools,  there  have  been  varying  numbers  brought  under  reli- 
gious influences,  who  have  publicly  professed  their  faith  in  Jesus 
Christ,  and  become  useful,  working  members  of  churches.  These  arc 
scattered  through  all  the  evangelical  denominations  in  the  city. 


The  Committee  on  Business  Men's  Prayer-Meetings  in  the  city  of 
Philadelphia,  have,  with  the  concurrence  of  a  large  number  of  the 
pastors  of  different  denominations  in  that  city,  issued  a  circular, 
recommending  a  fast  day,  and  have  selected  Thursday  next  as  the 
time  for  its  observance.  Measures  have  been  taken  for  a  similar 
meeting  in  this  city. 

The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  have  caused  to  be  printed 
and  distributed  at  the  doors  of  the  daily  prayer-meetings,  and  in 
many  other  ways,  a  variety  of  brief,  pointed  exhortations,  directions 


414    UNPRECEDENTED  CHARACTER  OF  THE  MOVEMENT. 

for  inquirers,  etc.,  which  it  is  hoped  may  accomphsh  silent  but  wide- 
spread good.  Now  is  a  precious  seed-time,  a  genial  season.  "  How 
shall  I  become  a  Christian  ?"  is  a  single  page  of  instruction  right  to 
the  point,  written  for  and  printed  by  the  Association,  to  guide  any 
soul  impressed  with  the  importance  of  its  eternal  interest — as  what 
soul  is  not,  at  this  time  ? — directly  and  simply  to  Christ. 


CHARACTERISTICS  AND   FRUITS   OF   THE   REVIVAL 
THUS   FAR. 

The  belief  has  been  expressed  by  some,  that  the  present  descent 
of  grace  is  without  a  parallel,  on  the  whole,  in  the  history  of  the 
church,  since  its  primitive  age.  No  such  extensive,  deliberate,  and 
earnest  turning  to  God,  unprompted  by  the  influence  of  His  special 
messengers  or  by  extraordinary  occasions  of  excitement,  perhaps, 
was  ever  seen  in  this  world.  From  causes  and  instrumentalities  of 
long,  gradual,  and  deep-rooted  growth,  a  novel  order  of  things  has 
come  into  existence,  marked  apparently  with  all  the  tokens  of  a  per- 
manent change.  Nearly  every  city  or  town  of  importance  in  the 
Northern  portion  of  the  United  States,  has  now  its  daily  prayer- 
meetings  in  the  midst  of  business  hours,  thronged  by  the  men  who 
have  hitherto  given  their  strength  to  the  god  of  this  world,  and 
given  to  their  country  its  preeminence  in  the  daring,  intense,  and 
unexampled  progress  of  worldly  enterprise.  Not  long  since,  the 
religious  press  and  people  of  New  York  were  lamenting  over  the 
removal,  in  succession,  of  nearly  all  the  places  of  worship  which 
once  blessed  the  lower  end  of  the  city.  They  little  .thought  how 
soon  this  sad  retreat  of  gospel  institutions,  before  the  advance  of 
commercial  enterprise,  would  be  followed  by  a  descent  of  the  Spirit 
which  should  crowd  not  only  churches,  but  stores  and  theatres  in 
this  same  "  business  quarter,"  with  multitudes  daily,  not  weekly, 
seeking  the  Lord.  The  indications  are,  that  the  business  part  of  the 
city  will  be  likewise  distinguished  as  the  -praying  part  of  the  city  ! 
Several  large  buildings,  in  addition  to  the  churches,  are  now 
urgently  wanted  for  daily  prayer-meetings,  and  a  religious  paper 
suggests  that  one  measm-e  for  sustaining  this  demand  permanently, 


SIGNS    OF   THE   TIME,  ABROAD  415 

would  be  to  meet  it  at  once,  by  the  erection  or  purchase  of  suitable 
houses  of  worship  in  the  midst  of  business,  in  place  of  the  dishonored 
and  demoUshed  structures  of  our  fathers.  ''  More  room,  more  rooml" 
is  the  voice  of  the  movement  in  every  quarter.  Generally  in  all  the 
commercial  cities,  as  well  as  minor  towns,  of  New  England,  the 
Middle  States  and  the  West,  these  meetings  are  opening  and  enlarg- 
ing daily,  and  the  telegraphic  system  of  the  country  finds  novel  and 
active  employment  in  spreading  the  news  from  day  to  day,  and 
exchanging  the  greetings  and  congratulations  of  assembled  thou- 
sands in  all  parts  of  the  country.  In  Newark  it  is  reported  that  at 
least  three  thousand  souls  have  been  hopefully  converted  to  God;  in 
smaller  places  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  it  is  asserted  that 
scarce  an  unconverted  adult  remains  ;  and  the  cities  and  villages  in 
which  the  great  awakening  is  in  active  progress,  number  at  least 
two  thousand  by  adwal  count. 

Soon  we  may  see  the  conflagration  catching  the  shores  of  Europe, 
and  hear  like  news  to  this  from  the  results  of  the  great  preaching 
MOVEMENT  which  has  been  for  many  months  going  on  in  London  and 
all  the  cities  of  Great  Britain — perhaps  itself  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  religious  phenomena  of  this  or  any  other  day.  Why 
should  not  awakening  France,  Spain,  and  Germany,  where  such 
marked  susceptibility  to  Evangelical  truth  has  for  some  time 
encouraged  the  zeal  of  the  handful  of  laborers,  soon  rise  by  commu- 
nities and  provinces  in  mass,  to  seek  the  Lord  and  call  upon  His 
people  for  the  word  of  life  ?  Conceive  the  effect  of  this  swelling 
wave  of  Divine  influence  as  it  sweeps  around  the  globe,  upon  the 
many  families  of  the  earth,  docile  Nestoriaus,  inquiring  Bulgarians, 
susceptible  Karens,  Feejee  Islanders,  etc,  who  are  waiting  for  the 
kingdom  of  God,  or  already  pressing  into  it.  Will  not  the  whole 
earth  be  shaken  yet  with  the  work  of  God  so  grandly  begun  upon 
our  shores  ? 

This  is  not  all  a  supernatural  matter.  There  is  something  in  it 
for  common  sense  to  apprehend.  We  see  in  the  phenomena  of 
this  revival,  as  plainly  as  our  eyes  can  show  us  any  other  object  in 
the  world,  the  natural  and  beautiful  operation  of  tlic  appointed 
human  instrumentalities  in  the  awakening  of  sinners.  The  Gospel 
of  Christ  is  as  directly  and  surely  adapted  to  awaken  men  as  is  an 


416  THE   PEOPLE   THE   PBEACHEE. 

alarm  of  fire.  Either  will  do  it,  in  its  way,  as  surely  as  it  is  uttered 
in  earnest  and  with  the  practical  evidences  of  sincerity.  Otherwise, 
for  neither  will  any  man  forego  the  comfort  of  his  slumbers.  You 
can  not  show  the  world  the  spectacle  of  a  church  in  earnest,  with- 
out awakening  solemnity,  solicitude,  and  tenderness  on  the  subject 
of  religion.  You  can  not  look  on  such  a  spectacle  without  being- 
moved.  The  contagion  of  real  earnestness  is  irresistible.  The 
crowded  Christian  meeting,  with  its  press  of  earnest  speech  and 
prayer,  its  tenderness  and  solemnity,  its  great  massive  weight  of 
eternal  realities  incumbent  on  the  very  atmosphere  of  the  scene,  is 
no  place  for  a  careless  man  1  He  can  not  stand  it.  Why  ?  Just 
because  the  Gospel,  *  the  'power  of  God  and  the  wisdom  of  God  unto 
salvation,^  is  actually  preached,  set  forth  and  testified  by  living  wit- 
nesses. It  is  preached,  though*  no  sound  be  heard,  with  a  power 
which  no  eloquence  or  earnestness  of  one  man  could  impart  to  the 
utterance.  We  can  trace,  indeed,  in  the  history  of  revivals,  the 
influence  of  our  progress  in  association,  since  the  days  in  which  men 
were  more  massed  and  less  individualized,  and  as  a  consequence 
were  more  controlled  by  single  minds  and  less  susceptible  to  the 
power  of  public  and  collective  utterances,  which  are  in  fact  mighty 
and  eloquent  in  proportion  as  they  are  the  voice  of  enlarged  and 
strong  individualities.  Perhaps  the  day  of  great  preachers^  revivals 
has  passed  away  with  that  of  the  mastery  of  single  minds  in  gene- 
ral. We  certainly  witness  at  present  a  revival  of  unprecedented 
power,  in  which  the  people  are  the  preacher  ;  and  this  is  in  beautiful 
harmony  with  the  nature  of  modern  American  existence.  Demo- 
cracy— under  sin  and  infidelity  the  grimmest  monster  that  ever  made 
the  earth  to  tremble — under  Christ  unites  the  intensity  of  individual 
force  with  the  majesty  of  multitude  and  the  spirit  of  Eternal  Love. 
It  is  true  that  the  novelty  of  a  thing  is  one  great  element  of 
impressiveness,  and  doubtless  a  certain  novelty,  that  is  to  say  fresh- 
ness and  originality  of  form,  always  belongs  to  genuine  manifesta- 
tions of  the  mind,  and  is  generally  a  requisite  condition  to  any 
powerful  effect  upon  the  mind.  But  it  does  not  follow  that  the  con- 
tinuance of  our  novel  but  most  simple  and  appropriate  means  of 
grace — the  mid-day  business  prayer-meetings  for  example — through- 
out the   year,  would  soon  lose  any  of  its  impressiveness  on  that 


RESULTS    IN   THE   CITT.  417 

account.  The  fsct  is,  that  such  a  persistence  would  itself  be  the 
greatest  and  most  impressive  novelty  the  church  has  ever  yet  exhi- 
bited. Neither  need  there  be  any  fear  that  this  wonderful  multi- 
tude-preaching of  the  gospel  will  not  develop  perpetually  fresher 
and  more  effective  forms  as  it  proceeds. 


CHURCHES  IN  THE  CITY. 

It  is  not  easy  to  obtain  a  definite  account  of  the  numbers  added 
to  the  several  churches,  nor  at  present  would  those  numbers  be  any 
index  to  the  extent  of  the  revival.  The  ingathering,  we  may  hope, 
has  but  commenced.  It  will  be  more  than  a  year,  indeed,  before 
the  ofl&cial  aggregates  of  the  various  denominations,  for  the  whole 
country,  will  be  collected  and  published,  so  as  to  be  compared  with 
those  of  the  last  year,  and  exhibit  the  total  increase  of  the  churches. 

In  the  city  and  suburbs  of  New  York,  the  only  denomination 
which  affords  us  a  stated  report  of  its  increase,  mouth  by  month,  is 
the  Baptis-t.  Their  Pastor's  Conference,  held  mc«ithly,  brings  to- 
gether an  interesting  view  of  the  fruits  of  their  labor,  so  far  as  indi- 
cated by  the  number  of  persons  baptized.  These,  in  the  first  three 
mouths  of  1858,  averaged  about  five  hundred  each  month.  There 
can  be  little  risk  in  assuming  that  four  times  this  number,  monthly, 
have  been  received  into  the  churches  of  the  several  deuominationg 
altogether. 

Large  accessions,  and  revival  scenes  of  deep  interest,  have  been 
witnessed  in  many  churches  of  the  city,  a  few  of  which  may  be  men- 
tioned by  way  of  illustration. 

In  the  Thirteenth  street  Presbyterian  Church  (Rev.  Dr. 
Burchard,  pastor),  one  hundred  and  thirteen  persons  recently  made 
a  profession  of  their  faith  at  one  time.  Of  this  number,  26  were 
heads  of  families,  and  63  were  children  and  youths  :  10  were  ofiicers 
aud  teachers  in  the  Sabbath-school,  and  52  were  scholars  in  the 
Bible-classes. 

The  North  Presbyterian  Church,  in  Ninth  avenue,  has  had  a 
very  extensive  revival.  A  marked  seriousness  has  pervaded  the 
congregation  for  more  than  eighteen  months  past.  In  September, 
1856,  a  "  svstematic  visitation "  of   the  district  was  undertaken 

18* 


418  RESULTS   IN   THE  CITT. 

The  church  has,  at  the  present  time,  nearly  1,000  children  and 
youth,  in  connection  with  its  two  Sunday-schools.  Not  less  than 
150  have  been  converted  during  the  season,  and  probably  more. 
The  work  of  grace  is  constant,  and  the  reviyal  is,  to  all  appearance, 
as  progressive  as  at  any  former  period,  conversions  occurring  daily. 
An  unusually  large  portion  of  the  converts  are  heads  of  families. 

The  Mariner's  (Presbyterian)  Church,  of  which  the  Rev. 
Charles  J.  Jones  is  pastor,  has  enjoyed  the  presence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  a  greater  or  less  degree  during  the  past  two  years.  Within 
that  time  there  have  been  234  hopeful  conversions,  principally 
among  seamen,  and  25  or  30  persons  are  now  candidates  for  admis- 
sion to  the  church  at  the  next  communion  season.  Service  is  held 
every  evening,  and  there  are  ten  distinct  services  on  the  Sabbath. 
The  gospel  is  preached  in  English  and  Norwegian,  and  in  three 
separate  dialects  of  the  Chinese.  During  the  last  two  years,  per- 
sons from  fifty-six  different  nations  have  been  reached  through  the 
instrumentality  of  this  church.  The  work  is  still  going  on  here,  and 
is  apparently  on  the  increase. 

ALLEN  STREET    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

• 

The  special  religious  interest  connected  with  the  services  of  this 
church  manifested  itself  about  the  close  of  the  year.  The  pastor 
says  : 

"  I  think  that  the  origin  of  the  work  in  this  church  may  clearly 
be  traced  to  the  feeling  awakened  in  the  minds  of  brethren  who 
attended  the  noon  meeting  held  in  the  Eeformed  Dutch  Church  in 
Fulton  street.  At  the  two  communions  which  have  occurred  since 
the  commencement  of  the  year,  thirty-five  have  been  added  to  the 
church.  It  is  impossible  to  say  now  how  many  will  be  admitted  at 
the  next  communion,  for  at  no  time  since  the  interest  comnienced 
has  there  been  so  many  new  cases  of  conviction  and  conversion  as 
now." 

ELEVENTH  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH. 

The  work  in  this  church  commenced  the  latter  part  of  December, 
185t,  and  is  still  in  progress.  Seventy-three  persons  have  been  re- 
ceived into  the  church,  and  many  others  wait  a  future  opportunity 


PEESBYTERIAN   CHUECHES.  419 

to  profess  their  faith  iu  Christ.  Several  members  of  the  Fire  De- 
partment and  of  the  Police  have  been  hopefully  converted.  In  this 
church  originated  the  effort  in  behalf  of  firemen,  which  promises  to 
be  extended  throughout  the  city.  The  first  two  sermons  preached 
to  them  were  by  the  pastor. 

FOURTEENTH    STREET   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

The  Rev.  Asa  D.  Smith,  D.D.,  is  pastor  of  this  church.  For  two 
years  in  succession  it  has  been  favored  with  a  special  work  of  grace, 
embracing  a  large  number  of  the  congregation.  On  the  5th  of 
February  last,  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer  was  observed  by  the 
church,  the  services  of  which  were  marked  by  full  attendance  and 
deep  solemnity.  The  interest  thenceforward  gradually  deepened, 
but  no  extra  services  were  held,  with  the  exception  of  a  meeting  for 
inquirers  at  the  pastor's  house,  until  Monday,  March  16.  Then  a 
morning  prayer-meeting  was  commenced  in  the  lecture-room,  which 
is  still  continued,  beginning  at  8  o'clock,  and  occupying  just  half  an 
hour.  Large  numbers  attend  this  meeting.  In  connection  with  it, 
the  pastor  began  to  preach  four  evenings  of  each  week,  which  he  is 
still  doing.  The  impression  has  been  very  marked  in  the  Sabbath- 
schools  connected  with  the  congregation,  having  under  their  influ- 
ence some  1,400  or  1,500  children.  A  considerable  number  of  the 
children  and  youths  are  in  attendance  at  the  inquiry  meetings.  The 
pastor  says  :  "  It  may  be  particularly  noted,  that  some  delightful 
fruits  have  appeared  of  the  missionary  labors,  especially  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Mission  Sabbath-schools  in  which  the  church  has  been 
long  engaged." 

The  religious  mterest  in  the  Middle  Eeformed  Dutch  Church, 
(Rev.  N.  E.  Smith,  pastor,)  began  the  early  part  of  last  year.  In 
a  few  months  between  eighty  and  nmety  were  added  to  the  church. 
The  present  year  a  fresh  revival  of  religious  interest  has  taken 
place,  and  still  continues,  thirty  more  having  lately  united  with  the 
church. 

In  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  corner  of  Broome  and  Greene 
Streets,  the  Rev.  Peter  Stryker,-  pastor.  In  the  course  of  the 
past  year  about  sixty  persons  have  been  admitted  to  membership. 


420  RESULTS    IN   THE   CITY. 

At  the  last  communion  (March  21st,)  there  was  an  accession  of 
fourteen  by  profession  of  faith. 

MARKET    STREET    CHURCH. 

The  pastor  of  this  church,  the  Rev.  T.  L.  Cuyler,  says  : — "The 
work  commenced  with  us  before  New  Year  ;  the  first  tokens  of 
good  date  from  a  day  of  special  prayer  appointed  by  the  elders  of 
the  church.  The  present  work  has  gone  forward  very  quietly,  very 
solemnly,  and  we  hope,  very  surely.  It  is  quite  too  early  to  esti- 
mate results.  The  good  work  is  still  going  forward.  But,  from 
present  appearances,  we  hope  to  welcome  at  our  approaching 
communion  season,  (next  Sabbath,)  more  than  fifty  new  members 
to  the  Lord's  Supper." 

In  the  Baptist  Mariners'  Church,  in  Cherry  Street,  at  which  the 
Rev.  Ira  Steward  is  pastor,  since  the  1st  of  January,  meetings 
have  been  held  every  evening,  and  one  hundred  and  one  have  been 
baptized — among  them  one  Jew — and  about  forty  more  have  been 
hopefully  converted.  Many  of  the  converts  have  been  seamen — 
among  them  men  of  twenty  different  nations.  The  congregation  has 
increased  from  one  hundred  to  five  hundred  ;  and  out  of  a  Sabbath- 
School  numbering  fifty,  thirty  have  been  hopefully  converted. 

The  Revival  in  the  Stanton  Street  Baptist  Church,  commenced 
more  than  eighteen  months  ago.  For  fifteen  months  past  there  has 
not  been  a  week  during  which  less  than  five  or  six  persons  have  pre- 
sented themselves  as  inquirers,  and  asking  an  interest  in  the  prayers 
of  the  church.  About  the  first  of  October,  1856,  the  work  of  the 
Spirit  began  to  be  especially  manifest.  During  December  and  Janu- 
ary, the  interest  increased.  In  February,  1857,  meetings  were  held 
every  evening.  During  the  months  of  March  and  April  sixty  were 
baptized  on  a  profession  of  faith  in  Christ.  Through  all  the  hot 
6<'a9on,  the  congregations  were  uniformly  large,  with  inquirers  every 
week.  As  the  Autumn  and  Winter  months  came,  the  revival  bfgan 
anew,  with  increased  fervor.  Eleven  were  baptized  in  February, 
and  fourteen  in  March.  Since  the  first  of  March,  1851,  one 
hundred  and  two  persons  have  been  received  by  baptism,  and  during 
the  eighteen  months  through  which  the  Revival  has  continued, 
about  tvo  hundred. 


BAPTIST   CHTTRCHES.  421 

The  Norfolk  Street  Baptist  Chnrch,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Armitage,  pas- 
tor, has  participated  hirgely  iu  the  general  revival  of  religion. 
Since  the  first  of  January,  seventy-seven  persons  have  united  with  the 
church,  on  a  profession  of  their  faith.  In  addition,  more  than  forty 
have  been  converted,  and  about  seventy  others  manifest  the  most 
serious  anxiety  for  their  salvation.  The  ordinary  services  are 
crowded,  and  hundreds  who  wish  to  attend  are  often  unable  to  gain 
admittance  into  the  house,  which  is  sometimes  filled  nearly  an  hour 
before  the  commencement  of  the  exercises. 

BEDFORD-STREET   CHURCH. 

Some  months  since  the  leading  members  of  many  of  the  Metho- 
dist churches  in  the  city,  well  known  for  their  exemplary  piety,  con- 
stituted themselves  a  society  with  the  object  of  promoting  among 
the  people  an  interest  in  religion.  Their  efforts  have  been  attended 
with  success  beyond  their  most  sanguine  expectations  ;  and  as  they 
labor  during  the  entire  Sabbath  in  a  given  church,  and  in  another 
church  the  succee'ding  Sabbath,  the  organization  has  obtained  in  the 
levity  of  common  remark,  the  name  of  the  "  Flying  Artillery."  The 
force  consist  of  between  thirty  and  forty,  mostly  middle-aged  per- 
sons, among  whom  is  ex- Alderman  Wesley  Smith. 

Soon  after  its  organization,  the  "  Praying  Band,"  or  "  Flying 
Artillery,"  visited  this  church,  and  occupied  an  entire  Sabbath  in 
prayer  and  exhortation.  Meetings  have  been  held  every  evening 
since,  and  the  large  church  has  been  crowded  constantly.  For  two 
weeks  in  March,  a  daily  prayer-meeting  was  held  here,  which  was 
then  removed  to  the  Baptist  Church.  Upward  of  one  hundred  an4 
fifty  converts  have  already  united  with  the  church. 

FIVE    POINTS    MISSION. 

The  numbers  and  seriousness  of  the  congregation  attending  the 
Sabbath  evening  services  at  this  place— composed  almost  exclusively 
of  residents  on  the  Five  Points — had  gradually  but  steadily  im- 
proved for  several  months  previous  to  the  first  of  January.  Early 
in  that  month  several  persons  asked  the  prayers  of  the  congregation; 
and  from  that  time  till  the  present  more  or  less  have  presented  them 


422  RESTTLTS    IN   THE   CITY. 

selves,  until  upward  of  one  hundred  have  been  forward  for  prayers 
Of  these  at  least  seventy-five  have  professed  conversion,  and  sixty 
have  offered  themselves  as  probationers  in  the  church.  Of  the  lat- 
ter, most  have  given  unmistakable  evidence  of  a  genuine  reformation 
of  life  and  manners  ;  and  though  they  had  lived  for  years  without 
religious  or  moral  restraints,  are  now  regular  and  constant  attend- 
ants upon  public  worship,  and  are  as  exemplary  in  their  lives  as 
many  persons  trained  under  more  favorable  influences.  The  work 
has,  at  no  time,  been  distinguished  by  any  marked  excitement ;  nor 
does  it  appear  to  have  been  influenced  by  the  religious  interest  pre- 
vailing in  the  other  portions  of  this  city.  The  subjects  of  the  Kevi- 
val  were  persons  invited  by  the  Missionary,  and  by  those  who,  having 
themselves  been  converted,  sought  out  and  brought  their  friends  and 
companions  to  the  house  of  God.  There  have  been  many  interest- 
ing and  affecting  incidents  connected  with  this  work.  Individuals 
who  once  moved  in  wealthy  and  intelligent  society,  but  who  had 
been  degraded  by  dissipation,  have  been  among  the  converts. 

FIFTIETH-STREET    CHURCH. 

One  hundred  and  twenty  persons  have  professed  conversion,  and 
ninety-five  have  united  "  on  probation"  with  this  church.  Most  of 
them  are  adult  persons,  who  before  were  never  accustomed  to  attend 
church  regularly. 

NORFOLK-STREET   CHURCH. 

About  one  hundred  have  professed  conversion  during  the  Winter 
aad  Spring  thus  far.  Excepting  a  few  cases  of  youth,  they  have  all 
been  adults. 

The  First  Congregational  Methodist  Church,  Brooklyn,  has  had 
a  continuous  revival  for  eleven  months  past.  During  this  tune  nearly 
one  hundred  and  fifty  persons  have  professed  conversion,  of  whom 
over  one  hundred  have  united  with  this  church,  and  about  twenty 
with  other  Evangelical  Churches  in  the  neighborhood. 

At  the  Seamen's  Chapel,  Cherry-street,  of  which  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Corbit  is  pastor,  over  150  converts  have  lately  been  made,  of  which 
number,  with  the  exception  of  six,  all  were  adults.  About  one-third 
of  the  entire  number  are  seafaring  men. 


METHODIST   CHURCHES.  423 

THE   MAIN-STREET    BETHEL   CHURCH,    BROOKLYN. 

The  Rev.  Wm.  Burnett,  who  labors  in  this  church,  and  in  the 
section  of  the  city  in  which  it  is  located,  writes  :  "  That  a  daily 
prayer-meeting  is  held  in  the  Bethel,  from  12  to  1  o'clock.  On 
board  the  man-of-war  North  Carolina,  a  work  of  reformation,  both 
in  temperance  and  religion,  is  going  on,  of  a  truly  remarkable  char- 
acter. We  have  had  frequently  from  eighty  to  one  hundred  persons 
requesting  prayers,  and  the  interest  still  continues.  I  distribute 
Bibles  and  Testaments  in  ten  different  languages." 

HANSON-PLACE    CHURCH,    BROOKLYN. 

In  the  church  of  which  the  Rev.  Mr.  Law  is  pastor,  the  number 
of  converts  has  reached  two  hundred.  This  is  a  newly-organized 
congregation. 

DE    KALB    AVENUE    CHURCH. 

The  revival  influence  developed  itself  in  this  church,  of  which  the 
Rev.  J.  S.  Inskip  is  pastor,  at  the  height  of  the  financial  "  panic." 
Over  150  have  been  converted.  The  work  continues,  and  the  indi- 
cations are  that  hundreds  more  will  soon  be  added  to  the  different 
churches  in  the  neighborhood.  A  Union  prayer-meeting  is  held 
daily,  alternately  in  the  Presbyterian,  Baptist,  and  Methodist 
churches. 


An  Episcopal  clergyman  of  the  city  writes  :  "  It  is  difficult  to  say 
what  effect  is  produced  in  the  Episcopal  Church  by  a  Revival  which 
began  outside  of  it.  High-Chur5hmen  view  such  seasons  unfavorably  ; 
but  Low- Churchmen  at  least  wish  them  well,  and  hope  for  the  best 
— and,  more  than  this,  open  the  doors  and  windows  of  their  own 
tabernacle  to  let  the  general  warmth  come  in,  and  to  feel  a  little  of 
the  '  Spring.^  In  regard  to  churches  denominated  '  Low,'  it  is  diffi- 
cult also  to  say  how  much  good  a  general  revival  does,  for  not  hav- 
ing a  popular  revival  machinery  in  use,  their  members  go  in  great 
numbers  to  other  churches  which  have.  In  my  own  particular  church 
all  services  are  better  attended  than  common,  and  a  few  persons  are 
evidently  seeking  religion.  In  our  Sunday-schools,  three  in  numbe* , 
there  are  some  instances  of  recent  conversions,  and  the  Teachers* 


424  EPISCOPAL   CHUECHES. 

Meetings,  particularly  the  one  for  prayer  on  Sunday,  are  well  at- 
tended and  effective  for  good.  No  greater  mistake  is  made  about  the 
Episcopalians,  especially  Low-Churchmen,  than  to  suppose  that  they 
object  to  frez  prayer.  I  have  never  been  connected  with  any  Epis- 
copal Church  for  fifty  years  past,  where  this  opposition  prevailed, 
and  hope  I  never  shall  be.  But  little,  perhaps  nothing,  is  publicly 
said  of  a  meeting  for  prayer  where  no  form  is  used,  though  it  has 
existed  in  one  Episcopal  Church  for  fifty  years,  without  any  cessation 
hardly  for  a  week.  If  another  examination  should  be  made  a  month 
or  two  hence,  more  may  be  said  of  the  good  this  Revival  has  done  in 
the  Episcopal  Church 

ST.  Paul's  chapel. 

St.  Paul's  Chapel  is  one  of  the  four  churches  in  the  Parish  of 
Trinity  Church.  From  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  till  nine  o'clock 
at  night,  one  or  more  of  the  churches  may  be  found  open  for  prayer 
and  for  preaching,  and  for  other  sacred  services  every  day. 

These  continuous  services  are  according  to  the  system  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  as  laid  down  in  the  Common  Prayer 
Book.  They  are,  therefore,  not  extraordinary,  being  carried  out  in 
Divine  Service  from  year  to  year.  The  number  of  persons  conjlrmed 
was — last  year  1*10,  this  year  about  500. 

Regular  evening  meetings  for  prayer  and  short  addresses,  have 
been  held  in  the  Church  of  the  Ascension  (Rev.  G.  T.  Bedell,  Rector). 
One  of  these  evening  services  was  of  a  very  impressive  character. 
The  meeting  commenced  with  singing  the  hymn 

"  Stay,  thou  insulted  Spirit,  stay, 

Though  I  have  done  thee  such  despite  ; 

Nor  cast  the  sinner  quite  away, 
Nor  take  Thine  everlastiilg  flight." 

A  series  of  prayers  were  read  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Dennison  ;  after 
which  the  Rev.  Mr.  Dickson,  Rector  of  Grace  Church,  delivered  a 
short  address  from  the  text,  "  Lord,  are  there  few  that  be  saved  ?" 

He  attributed  the  small  number  of  professing  Christians  to  the 
low  standard  of  Christianity  among  Christians  themselves,  to  their 
reserve,  and  indifference  to  the  salvation  of  others. 


PEBPETUATION   OF  THE   PRESENT   EFFORTS.  425 

Another  hymn  was  sung,  commencing, 

"  Sing,  my  soul,  his  wondrous  love," 

After  which  some  remarks  were  made  by  the  Eev.  Dr.  Dyer. 
Two  verses  of  the  hymn  commencing, 

"  Saviour,  source  of  every  blessing !" 

v,ere  sung,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Cutler,  of  St.  Ann's  Church,  Brooklyn,  ad- 
dressed the  congregation.  He  said  that,  twenty  years  ago,  such  t* 
meeting  as  the  present  one  would  have  been  denounced  as  Methodis- 
tical,  but  he  felt  that  he  could  almost  say  with  Simeon  of  old,  "  Now, 
Lord,  let  thy  servant  depart  in  peace,"  for  he  had  witnessed  that 
glorious  "  Leviathan,"  the  Episcopal  Church,  which  for  forty  years 
he  had  lamented  to  see,  with  all  its  noble  qualities  and  precious 
gifts,  being  fast  in  the  stocks,  at  last  launched  and  making  full 
headway  in  the  river  that  flows  from  the  City  of  God. 

The  hymn  beginning,  "  Salvation,  oh,  the  joyful  sound,"  was  sung. 
The  concluding  prayers  were  read  by  the  Kev.  Mr.  Dennison,  who 
also  pronounced  the  benediction,  and  the  congregation  was  dismissed. 

The  singing  is  entirely  Congregational  at  these  services,  the  use  of 
the  organ  having  been  dispensed  with. 

At  St.  George's  Church  (the  Rev.  Dr.  Tyng,  Rector),  a  strong 
religious  interest  prevails,  and  large  numbers  of  both  sexes  are 
inquiring. 

PERPETUATION    AND    EXTENSION    OF   THE    PRESENT    EFFORTS. 

A  Committee  was  formed  by  a  meeting  of  ministers  and  laymen, 
held  at  Spingler  Institute,  on  the  23d  of  March,  to  consider  the 
best  method  of  perpetuating  the  present  providential  union  of  the 
churches  in  efforts  to  save  souls. 

This  Committee,  consisting  of  Rev.  Messrs.  J.  T.  Peck,  John 
Dowhng,  G.  B.  Cheever,  S.  D.  Burchard,  T.  L.  Cuyler,  J.  M.  Krebs, 
with  Messrs.  Wm.  E.  Dodge,  John  R.  Ludlow,  Wm.  C.  Gilman, 
Mahlon  T.  Hewett,  Horace  Holden,  and  C.  C.  Leigh,  report  that 
they  believe  that,  beside  the  moral  power  which  each  and  all  the 
denominations  have  in  their  separate  action,  there  is  a  special  force 
in  their  unity,  and  the  outward  expression  of  that  unity,  in  some 
strong  evangelical  labors  for  the  salvation  of  those  not  already 


426  SUKVEY  OF  THE  COrNTEY. 

reached  by  the  established  means  of  grace.  It  was  felt  that  this 
joint  power  had,  in  the  late  revival,  received  a  providential  develop- 
ment and  direction,  which  it  was  the  manifest  duty  of  the  churches 
to  recognize  and  perpetuate. 

They,  therefore,  propose  for  the  consideration  of  the  Christians  of 
New  York,  that  a  Committee  of  ministers  and  laymen,  from  each  of 
the  denominations  interested,  be  appointed,  to  whom  the  supervision 
of  this  interest  shall  be  committed. 

That  the  churches  be  united  in  additional  efforts  for  the  salvation 
of  souls,  by  opening  and  sustaining  places  of  worship,  where  they 
are  needed,  for  the  benefit  of  the  destitute,  and  that  the  selection  of 
such  places,  and  the  mode  of  accommodating  the  services,  be  en- 
trusted to  the  Committee. 

That  the  Committee  purchase  and  fit  up  a  tent,  which  may  be 
located  at  different  thnes  in  such  places  as  they  shall  deem  best  for 
the  purposes  specified  ;  that  they  provide  preaching  in  such  tent,  at 
least  once  on  the  Sabbath,  by  ministers  of  the  different  evangelical 
denominations,  alternating  as  regularly  as  practicable  ;  and  establish 
Sunday-Schools,  and  appoint  Union  prayer-meetings  and  ©ther  re- 
ligious services. 

SUKVEY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.* 

MAINE. 

At  Bangor,  Me.,  an  extensive  revival  is  in  progress.  The  sur- 
rounding towns  also  partake  of  the  excitement. 

In  Biddeford  some  of  the  leading  citizens  have  been  converted. 
During  the  whole  winter  the  common  topic  of  conversation  has 
been  the  subject  of  religion.  The  revival  here  is  distinguished  for 
the  remarkable  rapidity  of  the  work  of  conversion.  Very  clear  and 
strongly  marked  convictions  of  sin  (and  in  some  instances  the  dis- 
tress was  well  nigh  overwhelming)  have  been  soon  followed  by  the 
joyful  reception  of  Christ,  and  the  immediate  commencement  of 
Christian  duty  in  the  closet  and  in  the  family,  and  in  earnest  efforts 
for  the  spiritual  good  of  others.     The  converts  are  chiefly  adults, 

*  Notices  of  the  Awakening  in  the  principal  cities  having  been  already  given,  are  not 
repeated  here. 


MAINE — ^NEW   HAMPSHIRE.  427 

the  majority  being  heads  of  families,  and  many  of  them  over  fifty 
years  of  age.  Among  the  latter  is  the  case  of  a  man  who  has  been 
notoriously  intemperate  and  profane. 

At  Deer  Isle,  Hancock  co.,  females  have  gone  three,  four,  and 
some  even  five  miles,  to  attend  the  meetings.  It  was  recently  as- 
certained that  one  hundred  and  ten  persons  had  been  converted,  and 
that  in  almost  every  house  one  or  more  are  interested  in  the  things 
belonging  to  their  eternal  welfare. 

In  Saco,  a  revival  is  in  progress  greater  than  ever  before  known 
in  that  place  ;  large  accessions  have  been  made  to  the  membership 
of  all  the  churches,  and  the  work  is  still  going  on. 

Revivals  are  mentioned  by  the  New  York  Examiner  (which  af- 
fords the  greatest  amount  of  statistics  of  this  kind)  in  88  towns, 
with  seven  or  eight  hundred  specified  conversions,  the  present  year. 
The  ensuing  statistics  are  from  the  same  source,  and  relate  to  the 
year  1858.  The  Methodist  statistics  are  separate  from  these,  and 
cannot  be  conveniently  included.  At  least  one-third  more  should 
be  added  to  each  State,  in  the  average,  on  this  account. 

NEW    HAMPSHIRE. 

At  New  Ipswich,  between  fifty  and  sixty  have  professed  conver- 
sion, including  several  students  hitherto  notoriously  profane  and 
profligate.  A  recent  graduate  of  Dartmouth,  who  has  hitherto  been 
a  follower  of  Voltaire,  and  had  nearly  completed  an  infidel  poem 
in  nine  cantos,  has  burned  his  production,  and  avows  himself  an 
earnest  seeker  after  religion.  Several  inn-keepers  have  banished  ar- 
dent spirits  from  their  premises,  and  in  two  instances  have  held 
prayer  meetings  in  their  bar-rooms. 

At  Dover,  150  hopeful  conversions  have  occurred. 

In  Hampton,  a  very  powerful  revival  exists — ^large  numbers  of 
conversions  liave  occurred  in  all  the  churches. 

In  Meredith  Village,  a  revival  which  promised  to  be  of  great 
power,  and  which  had  resulted  in  a  large  number  of  conversions, 
was  suddenly  arrested  by  a  circumstance  of  which  the  Rev.  C.  Burn- 
ham,  minister  in  that  place,  thus  writes  : — 

"  There  have  probably  been  more  than  100  conversions  within 
five  miles  during  the  winter.    When  the  interest  was  at  its  height 


428  BFEVET   OF   THE   COTJNTRT ^VERMONT. 

here,  and  when  it  seemed  that  the  whole  community  was  deeply  in- 
terested, and  were  just  ready  in  large  numbers  to  come  out  on  the 
Lord's  side,  the  adversary  of  all  good  put  a  story  in  circulation,  tri- 
vial, in  itself,  but  yet  of  such  a  nature  as  to  arrest  attention,  and  it 
seemed  to  sweep  through  the  whole  region  like  a  whirlwind,  and  yet 
there  was  not  the  slightest  truth  in  it.  There  have  been  but  one  or 
two  conversions  since  in  our  community." 

The  Examimr  gives  40  towns  in  New  Hampshire  as  subjects  of 
the  revival,  with  425  conversions. 

VERMONT. 

lu  Rutland,  100  persons  have  professed  conversion  in  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Aiken's  Church,  and  at  the  close  of  a  recent  meeting,  from  60 
to  70  inquirers  remained  for  special  religious  conversation  and 
prayer.  The  church  of  which  the  Rev.  L.  Howard  is  pastor,  has 
received  forty-one  by  baptism,  in  the  past  few  weeks,  and  many  more 
were  waiting  to  go  forward  in  the  ordinance  of  baptism. 

In  Jericho,  fifty  have  been  recently  converted.  Six  hundred  con- 
versions are  specified  in  39  towns. 

MASSACHUSETTS. 

The  number  of  conversions  in  New  Bedford  is  estimated  at  600, 
and  at  from  400  to  500  in  Newburyport.  In  the  former  place,  with 
a  population  of  24,000,  not  less  than  twelve  daily  prayer-meetings 
have  been  sustained  for  three  months.  As  one  of  the  effects  of  this 
work,  one  of  the  converts  who  had  been  a  hquor-dealer,  stated  in  a 
recent  meeting  that  he  had  renounced  the  traffic,  and  had  resolved 
neither  to  sell  nor  to  drink  a  drop  of  liquor. 

A  sea  captain  from  that  place,  while  recently  attending  one  of  the 
Boston  prayer-meetings,  gave  a  very  interesting  account  of  his  con- 
version while  lying  upon  a  wreck  for  four  days. 

In  Lawrence,  the  interest  which  has,  until  very  recently,  been 
mainly  confined  to  the  churches,  is  now  moving  the  irrehgious  with 
great  power.  Twenty  or  thirty  have  arisen  in  single  church-meet- 
ings to  request  the  prayers  of  believers.  Daily  and  evening  meetings 
are  held  through  the  week,  nearly  without  intermission.  Between 
thirty  and  forty  Germans  have  recently  joined  the  Central  Church 
on  profession  of  their  faith. 


MASSACHUSETTS. 

At  HoUiston,  there  have  been  two  hundred  and  fifty  conver 


"  Never  in  the  history  of  Lowell,  has  there  been  so  general,  and 
as  we  believe,  so  deep  an  interest  in  religion." 

At  Williamstown  there  were,  at  last  accounts,  some  40  conver- 
sions in  College. 

The  work  in  Phillips  Academy,  Andover,  is  altogether  unexampled. 
About  thirty-five  of  the  students  are  already  rejoicing  in  hope,  and 
the  work  still  goes  powerfully  onward. 

A  very  general  interest  exists  in  Winchester.  Men  gave  up  their 
business,  and  instead  of  coming  to  the  city,  stayed  at  home  to  pray. 
There  were  15  inquirers  at  once,  and  some  conversions.  Since  that 
time,  the  work  has  progressed  rapidly,  particularly  among  the  young 
men  of  the  town.  It  is  thought  that  250  cases,  or  more,  of  conver- 
sion have  taken  place  in  twelve  evangelical  societies.  The  revival 
has  extended,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  to  nearly  all  parts  of  Wor- 
cester County. 

A  letter  from  Orange  states  that  "  the  revival  in  that  place,  has 
been  of  greater  power  than  in  any  neighboring  locality.  The  town, 
until  withm  a  few  years,  has  been  the  stronghold  of  error.  The 
name  of  Jesus  was  ridiculed,  humble  Christians  assailed  and  threat- 
ened in  the  streets,  and  the  preacher  bitterly  cursed.     Mr.  G , 

a  tavern-keeper  in  the  place,  who  was  a  Universalist,  has,  since  his 
conversion,  been  the  object  of  unsparing  hate.  He  banished  intoxi- 
cating drinks  from  his  bar,  opened  his  house  to  inquiry-meetings,  and 
has  not  hesitated  to  meet  '  the  loss  of  all  things.'  The  subjects  of 
the  revival  are  chiefly  heads  of  families — the  number  must  be  nearly 
a  hundred  in  the  town,  and  still  the  work  goes  on." 

In  Uxbridge,  among  the  cases  of  conscience  is  one  of  a  gambler, 
who,  while  sitting  at  a  table  playing  cards,  was  suddenly  so  impress- 
ed with  a  sense  of  the  degraded  life  he  had  led,  that  he  could  neither 
hold  his  cards  nor  play  the  game.  His  companions  urged  him  to 
take  a  glass  of  liquor  to  quiet  his  nerves.  He  refused  and  left  them 
at  once,  starting  for  home,  and  shortly  afterward  experienced  con- 
version. 

Revivals  in  141  towns,  and  conversions  noted,  between  four  and 
five  thousand. 


430  SURVEY   OF  THE  COUNTEY. 

RHODE    ISLAND. 

At  Pawtucket  the  revival  is  going  on  with  increasing  power.  On 
a  Sunday  evening  forty-three  persons  took  part  in  the  first  meeting, 
and  at  the  inquiry  meeting  which  followed,  forty-one  spoke  or 
prayed.     Over  a  hundred  persons  have  been  converted. 

At  Warren,  more  than  one  hundred  in  the  Baptist  congregation 
have  been  hopefully  converted,  and  many  are  still  inquiring.  Sixty 
of  the  converts  are  in  the  Sabbath>school,  varying  in  age  from  14  to 
24  years.  Some  whole  families  have  been  found  together  at  the 
feet  of  the  Saviour.  One  entire  Bible-class  of  nine  young  men,  an- 
other of  five  young  ladies,  have  been  converted. 

At  Providence,  in  the  First  Baptist  Church,  some  striking  cases  of 
conversion  had  occurred,  and  there  are  most  interesting  religious 
indications  in  Brown  University,  as  well  as  in  the  city  generally. 

At  Thurber's  Pond,  Providence,  where  a  number  of  persons  from 
the  Fourth  Baptist  Church  were  baptized,  about  three  thousand 
persons  were  assembled,  half  of  whom  were  Irish,  as  Miss  Carroll, 
who  was  converted  from  the  Catholic  to  the  Protestant  faith  some 
time  ago,  was  one  of  the  persons  to  be  baptized.  On  entering  the 
water,  says  the  Providence  Journal,  she  was  saluted  with  cries  of 
"  kill  her,"  "  drown  her,"  etc.,  the  crowd  being  with  difficulty  kept 
behind  a  rope  which  was  drawn  to  keep  them  from  the  shore.  After 
the  ceremony,  the  carriage  which  conveyed  Miss  Carroll  to  her  resi- 
dence was  followed  by  a  large  crowd  of  Irish.  The  presence  of  the 
police,  however,  prevented  any  further  disturbance. 

Revivals  36,  and  numbers  given  of  converts  over  1,000. 

NEW   YORK. 

During  the  last  four  terms  nearly  two  hundred  and  forty  academy 
students  have  united  with  some  of  the  churches  of  Canandaigua. 

The  Baptist  pastor  in  Union  Village,  writes  that  he  has  baptized 
111  converts,  and  is  expecting  soon  to  baptize  more. 

"  I  never  witnessed  a  revival  of  such  extent  where  there  was  man- 
ifest so  little  of  what  may  be  regarded  as  mere  sympathetic  excite- 
ment.   More  than  fifty  of  the  number  baptized  are  heads  of  families 


NEW   YORK. 


431 


ranging  from  25  to  50.  One  man  has  been  hopefully  converted  in 
his  83d  year." 

In  Westerloo,  more  than  a  hundred  conversions  are  reported. 

A  letter  from  Catskill  says,  that  since  the  revival  commenced,  115 
had  been  received  into  the  church;  more  than  one  half  being  heads 
of  families.  The  revival  commenced  at  a  time  of  religious  indiffer- 
oncc,  by  the  conversion  of  a  young  man  who  was  a  member  of  the 
Bible-class.  A  prayer-meeting  was  established,  and  every  member 
of  the  Bible-class  has  been  brought  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth,  and 
made  a  public  profession  of  religion. 

In  Olean  there  have  been  very  recently  140  conversions. 

The  Rev.  J.  K.  Kennedy,  of  Geneva,  writes : 

"  Our  little  Congregational  church  last  spring  numbered  only 
thirty,  now  ninety.  Thus,  under  the  providence  of  God  this  church 
has  been  trebled  in  less  than  one  year." 

At  Genoa  a  Union  prayer-meeting  is  held  every  morning  at  the 
Dutch  Reformed  Church,  at  which  the  various  pastors  alternate  in 
presiding.  The  meetings  are  largely  attended.  At  the  Methodist 
church  there  are  three  daily  meetings.  At  9  o'clock  a  Young  Men's 
Union  Prayer-meeting  is  held  by  a  class  of  young  men,  mostly  new 
converts.  At  2|-  o'clock  a  prayer-meeting  is  held.  At  1^  o'clock  the 
Itirge  church  is  filled,  and  the  altar  and  seats  adjacent  are  crowded 
with  inquirers. 

A  revival  is  in  progress  in  Cold  Spring,  which  all  the  different 
denominations  have  shared.  I  cannot  state  the  exact  number  who 
have  professed  to  have  been  converted,  but  I  should  think  about  200, 
of  whom  80  have  joined  the  Methodist  Church.  The  work  goes 
on  yet. 

Since  the  commencement  of  the  present  term,  a  very  great  interest 
has  been  manifested  by  nearly  every  member  of  Union  college,  Sche- 
nectady. Public  services  are  held  in  the  college  chapel  two  evenings 
each  week,  and  hardly  an  evening  passes  but  some  one  of  the  four 
classes  holds  a  social  meeting  for  prayer.  Between  thirty-five  and 
forty  attend  the  lectures  of  the  Vice-President  (Dr.  Hickok)  to 
young  converts.  But  a  much  larger  number  than  this,  it  is  esti- 
mated, have  met  with  a  hopeful  change. 

In  Rockaway,  L.  I.,  the  religious  influence  has  been  so  generalljr 


6UEVET   OF   THE   COUNTRY. 

felt  that  almost  every  adult  person  in  the  place  has  become  a  mem- 
ber of  a  church,  and  three  hundred  fishermen  have  been  recently- 
converted. 

The  Methodist  Churches  along  the  Hudson  River  report  extensive 
revivals.  Peekskill,  Rondout,  Poughkeepsie,  and  Hudson  are  specially 
noticed. 

At  East  Green Y?'ich,  in  the  Methodist  Church,  one  hundred  conver- 
sions are  reported,  and  more  than  fifty  of  them  are  heads  of  families. 

At  Nassau  a  very  powerful  work  has  heen  witnessed.  A  clergy- 
man writing  from  this  place,  says  : 

"  Never  since  the  days  of  Nettleton,  whose  labors  were  eminently 
successful  in  this  region  of  country,  has  such  a  work  of  grace  been 
witnessed.  Over  one  hundred  have  attended  the  meetings  for  inquiry, 
and  have  sought  an  interest  in  the  prayers  of  God's  people." 

In  Chnton,  the  churches  have  had  upward  of  one  hundred  additions. 

A  correspondent  writing  from  Salem,  says: 

*' Without  any  alarming  event,  without  any  extraordinary  preach- 
ing, or  any  special  effort  or  other  means  that  might  be^  supposed     J 
peculiarly  adapted  to  interest  the  minds  of  the  people,  there  has     1 
within  a  short  time  past  been,  in  several  towns  and  villages  in  Wash-      i 
ington  and  Warren  Counties,  and  the  towns  and  villages  along  the 
western  parts  of  the  State  of  Vermont,  a  revival  so  extraordinary 
as  to  attract  the  attention  of  all  classes  of  the  community.     In  one      | 
town  over  one  hundred  have  been  brought  to  conviction  and  con- 
version, and  the  glorious  work  is  still  going  on.     They  expect  the 
whole  town  will  be  converted— for  this  they  pray.     This  work  does 
not  appear  to  be  confined  to  the  churches;  hundreds  are  converted 
at  prayer-meetings,  in  private  houses,  in  the  workshops,  and  at  their 
work  in  the  fields.     Men  of  fortune  and  fashion,  lawyers,  physicians, 
and  tradesmen,  and,  indeed,  all  classes,  ages  and  sexes,  are  the  sub- 
jects of  it." 

Some  200  towns  are  named  as  sharing  in  the  revival,  with  600O 
specified  cases  of  conversion. 

NEW   JERSEY. 

In  New  Brunswick  one  hundred  and  seventy-seven  have  joined  the 
Methodist  Church  on  probation,  one  hundred  and  twelve  of  whom     3 


NEW   JERSEY PENNSYLVANIA — OHIO.  483 

are  beads  of  families,  among  whom  there  are  several  steamboat 
captains,  pilots,  etc. 

In  Trenton,  among  the  Methodist  Churches,  there  have  been  up- 
wards of  one  thousand  seven  hundred  recent  additions. 

In  Jersey  City,  a  Union  Morning  Prayer-meeting  has  been  held 
some  two  months,  at  half-past  seven  o'clock,  which  is  well  attended, 
and  an  afternoon  meeting,  at  half-past  five  o'clock,  under  the  aus- 
pices of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association.  In  all  the  churches, 
perhaps  as  many  as  one  hundred  and  fifty  have  been  thought  to 
have  devoted  themselves  to  the  service  of  God  since  the  work  began. 

Instances  of  revival  in  the  State,  over  sixty  ;  of  conversions, 
from  five  to  six  thousand. 

PENNSYLVANIA. 

At  Chambersburgh,  the  most  influential  and  prominent  citizens 
have  united  themselves  to  the  church.  A  prayer-meeting  is  men- 
tioned as  the  largest  ever  known  in  this  borough.  The  religious 
feeling  is  rapidly  speading,  and  the  young  especially  seem  to  be 
most  deeply  concerned. 

Numerous  and  powerful  revivals  are  mentioned  by  the  Methodist 
papers.  The  work  in  the  principal  cities  has  been  elsewhere  refer- 
red to.  The  number  of  towns  affected  by  the  revival,  is  about 
sixty-five,  as  far  as  noted,  with  some  five  thousand  conversions 
specified. 

OHIO. 

A  great  revival  is  in  progress  in  Circleville.  The  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  has  received  about  two  hundred  and  ten  accessions, 
and  the  number  is  still  increasing.  Some  of  the  other  churches 
have  also  received  some  thirty  or  forty  each.  The  great  revivals  in 
Cleveland  and  other  cities,  have  already  been  mentioned.  The  work 
of  grace  has  been  very  general,  reaching  at  least  two  hundred 
towns,  and  yielding  some  twelve  thousand  reported  conversions. 
These  are  largely  among  the  Methodists. 

INDIANA. 

In  Indiana  we  find  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  to.rns  reported, 
with  from  four  to  five  thousand  conversions. 

19 


434:  SURVEY   OF   THE   COUNTKY. 

ILLINOIS 

About  one  hundred  and  fifty  towns  participating  :  conversions 
specified,  from  three  to  four  thousand. 

MICHIGAN. 

Towns  sixty  ;  conversions  specified,  from  one  thousand  five  hun- 
dred to  two  thousand. 

IOWA. 

The  Congregational  Herald  says  :  "  Never  before  has  there  been 
anything  like  the  general  religious  intere'st  in  Dubuque  that  exists 
there  now,  and  which  there  is  a  prospect  will  continue." 

About  sixty  other  places  are  named  as  sharing  in  the  visitation, 
and  some  one  thousand  five  hundred  conversions  are  noted. 

WISCONSIN. 

Wisconsin  sends  about  thirty  names  of  places  revived,  with  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  or  a  thousand  converts  enumerated. 

MINNESOTA. 

At  St.  Anthony  and  Minneapolis,  there  have  been  from  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  to  three  hundred  conversions.  Cheering  news  from 
all  parts  of  the  Territory. 

A  private  letter  from  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  says  :  "  The  good 
work  of  the  Lord  still  goes  on.  The  interest  is  yet  on  the  increase. 
St  Paul  never  saw  a  time  like  the  present.  The  Holy  Spirit  seems 
to  pervade  the  entire  community,  in  every  department  of  business." 

Other  places  named  in  Minnesota,  ten  ;  conversions,  near  one 
thousand. 

MISSOURI. 

In  St.  Joseph's  a  great  revival  has  broken  out.  The  churches  of 
all  the  denominations  have  united  in  the  effort  to  carry  on  the  work. 
The  conversions  have  been  very  numerous,  including,  in  some  in- 
stances, whole  families. 

The  Rev.  J.  B.  Fuller,  nephew  of  the  celebrated  Rev.  Andrew 
Fuller,  of  England,  is  producing  a  great  excitement  in  Missouri,  by 
his  preaching.  He  is  but  seventeen  years  old,  and  had  commanded 
a  large  salary  as  an  actor.  About  fifty  revivals  are  mentioned,  and 
two  thousand  conversions. 


THE   SOUTH.  435 

Again  and  again,  during  the  meetings  at  St  Charles,  Mo. 
would  one  and  another  arise«and  tell  that  a  pious  mother's  prayers 
had  followed  them  in  all  their  wanderings  and  waywardness,  and 
were  now  being  answered  ;  one  spoke  almost  identically  as  did  John 
Newton,  that  he  could  almost  feel  the  pressure  of  his  mother's  hand 
upon  his  head,  as  he  used  to  feel  it  when  that  mother  would  kneel 
and  commend  him  to  the  protection  of  a  covenant-keeping  God. 

VIRGINIA. 

In  the  western  part  of  Virginia,  bordering  on  Ohio,  a  general  re- 
vival has  appeared,  similar  in  character  to  that  in  this  vicinity.  A 
gentleman  writing  from  Wheeling,  of  the  religious  interest  of  that 
city,  and  in  that  section  of  the  State,  says  : 

''  The  past  winter  has  been  one  long  to  be  remembered,  on  ac- 
count of  the  revivals  of  religion  that  have  pervaded  all  the  churches 
in  this  section  of  the  country.  Nothing  equal  to  it  has  been  known 
in  this  region  of  the  country,  even  by  the  oldest  members  of  our 
churches.  In  some  neighborhoods  almost  the  entire  adult  popula- 
tion is  brought  under  its  influence.  I  know  of  many  churches  where 
there  are  from  one  hundred  to  two  hundred  accessions,  while  there 
is  but  one  church  within  the  circuit  of  several  counties,  so  far  as  I 
have  heard,  that  has  not  shared  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  in  the 
blessed  work." 

Some  fifty  revivals  are  noted,  with  one  thousand  five  hundred 
conversions. 

In  Maryland  there  are  mentioned  twenty-five  revivals,  and  one 
thousand  five  hundred  conversions.  In  the  other  Southern  States, 
very  sparse  instances  of  revival  are  mentioned.  We  observe  about 
thirty  in  all,  with  some  ten  thousand  conversions. 

In  Kentucky  we  hear  of  some  ninety  revivals,  and  two  thousand 
five  hundred  conversions.  In  Tennessee,  forty  revivals  and  one 
thousand  five  hundred  conversions. 

The  Mobile  Advertiser,  says,  that  in  this  city  "  Services  are  now 
being  held  daily  in  the  Catholic,  Episcopal,  Baptist,  one  of  the 
Methodist,  and  perhaps  other  churches.  In  nearly  all  the  congre- 
gations of  this  city,  the  converts  within  a  few  weeks  have  been  un* 
usually  numerous." 


INCIDENTS  OF  THE  REVIVAL. 

A  YOUNG  man  who  bad  not  previously  been  in  a  cliurcli  for  nine 
years,  was  induced,  a  few  days  since,  to  attend  the  Union  Prayer- 
meeting  held  in  the  Thirty-Fourth-street  Methodist  church,  in  this 
city,  where  prayers  were  offered  for  his  conversion.  In  the  evening 
of  the  same  day  he  attended  a  similar  meeting  in  the  North  Presby- 
terian church,  Ninth  Avenue,  corner  of  Thirty-First  street,  where  his 
case  was  also  mentioned,  and  he  was  made  the  subject  of  special 
prayer.  On  the  following  day  he  again  attended  the  meetings  held 
in  both  these  places,  and  on  that  evening  experienced  conversion. 


At  Newburyport,  a  pious  wife  entreated  her  dissipated  husband 
to  go  to  meeting  with  her  ;  he  replied  that  he  would,  if  she  would 
give  him  a  pint  of  rum  on  his  return.  Knowing  that  he  would  have 
the  rum  whether  she  gave  it  to  him  or  not,  she  agreed  to  his  terms, 
and  he  went  to  the  meeting.  When  they  returned  she  procured 
the  liquor  for  him,  but  he  pushed  it  aside,  saying  he  had  found 
something  better,  and  he  now  gives  evidence  of  being  a  changed 
man. 


A  young  man,  in  a  store  in  Park  Place,  was  met  by  a  stranger, 
who  asked  him  the  question,  "  Are  you  a  Christian  ?"  to  which,  on 
his  replying  ''  No,"  the  stranger  said  to  him,  "  If  you  will  pray  to- 
night, I  will  pray  for  you."  Next  morning  the  stranger  met  him  in 
the  same  place,  and  after  a  salutation,  was  surprised  to  learn  that 
he  had  been  converted  since  the  previous  day. 


A  young  man  attending  a  Presbyterian  church  in  Brooklyn,  re- 
ceived a  copy  of  the  tract-circular  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  accompanied  with  a  printed  card  of  invitation  to  the 
John-street  prayer-meeting.  A  day  or  two  afterward,  at  this  meet- 
ing, he  introduced  himself  to  a  member  of  the  Association,  and 
stated  that  he  had  experienced  conversion  through  the  instrumental- 
ity of  that  tract. 

A  law  student  in  this  city,  was  handed  a  tract  by  a  person  before 


INCIDENTS    OF   THE   KEYIVAL.  437 

unknown  to  him,  who  also  gave  him  a  card  containing  his  address. 
Shortly  afterward  the  distributor  received  a  note  from  the  student, 
saying,  "  I  feel  very  serious  on  the  subject  of  religion,  and  I  hope  I 
may  be  soon  converted.  Pray  for  me."  His  conversion  took  place 
immediately  afterward. 


A  young  man,  formerly  a  Sunday-school  scholar,  recently  received 
a  tract  from  a  gentleman,  who  inclosed  it  in  a  note,  with  a  request 
to  attend  some  one  of  the  noon  prayer-meetings.  Shortly  afterward 
he  wrote,  "  I  received  your  kind  tract.  I  have  been  often  warned 
of  the  dangers  of  city  life,  and  have  been  trying  to  come  to  the 
Saviour.  I  hope  I  may  soon  be  changed  in  heart."  In  a  day  or 
two  afterward  he  called  on  the  person  who  sent  him  the  tract,  and 
said,  "  I  have  found  God." 


A  resident  of  New  Haven,  formerly  a  clerk  in  a  bank  in  New 
York,  while  on  a  temporary  visit  to  this  city,  was  converted  through 
the  agency  of  one  of  the  mid-day  religious  meetings.  On  his  return 
to  New  Haven,  he  interested  himself  in  the  spiritual  condition  of  a 
younger  brother,  who,  within  a  week,  was  also  converted.  They 
are  sons  of  a  prominent  minister  in  that  city. 


A  gentleman  who  is  greatly  interested  in  the  progress  of  the  re- 
vival, recently  called  at  the  store  of  a  friend,  to  whom  he  wished  to 
present  the  claims  of  religion.  His  friend  was  not  in,  yet  he,  being 
unwilling  to  go  away  without  having  accomplished  some  good,  spoke 
to  one  of  the  clerks — a  young  man  about  18  years  of  age — to  whom 
he  was  a  stranger,  on  the  same  subject,  and  after  a  few  days,  was 
apprised  of  his  conversion  through  the  instrumentality  of  this  con- 
versation. 


A  New  York  merchant  residing  in  a  town  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city, 
on  returning  home  recently  aftev  having  attended  a  crowded  prayer- 
meeting,  determined  to  make  an  effort  for  the  spiritual  good  of  some 
of  his  friends  and  neighbors.  One  of  these  was  a  man  who  called 
himself  an  infidel.  A  prayer-meeting  was  organized,  to  which  this 
man  with  others  were  invited,  and  after  several  days'  attendance, 


438  INCIDENTS   OF   THE   KEVIVAL. 

rose  on  one  occasion,  and  requested  that  prayer  should  be  made  in 
his  behalf.  To  the  surprise  and  almost  astonishment  of  his  acquaint- 
ances, he  shortly  afterward  renounced  infidelity,  embraced  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  and  is  soon  to  become  a  member  of  a  church.  The 
cousin  of  this  man  was  recently  converted  in  this  city,  through 
attendance  at  the  prayer-meetings,  and  two  brothers  and  two  sisters 
in  the  same  family  have  since  followed  his  examj^le. 


A  young  man  stated  at  a  prayer-meeting  some  weeks  ago,  that  he 
had  just  experienced  conversion.  On  being  asked  what  had  first 
arrested  his  attention  on  the  subject  of  religion,  he  replied  "  that  it 
was  the  reading  of  the  account  of  the  general  revival  of  religion 
contained  in  The  Tribune." 


Two  or  three  weeks  since,  a  returned  foreign  missionary  from  the 
Syrian  mission  made  an  address  to  a  Sunday  school  in  Pittsburgh, 
Pa.,  in  which  he  said  he  would  put  into  the  hands  of  the  Superin- 
tendent a  little  box,  made  of  the  wood  of  a  "  cedar  of  Lebanon,"  to 
be  given  to  the  scholar  that  should  commit  and  repeat  in  Sabbath- 
school  the  next  two  Sabbaths  the  greatest  number  of  verses  from  the 
Bible.  The  prize  was  taken  by  a  little  girl,  thirteen  years  of  age. 
About  the  same  time,  two  members  of  her  class  were  converted  and 
united  with  the  church ;  and  the  ceremony  of  their  admission  made 
such  an  impression  on  her  mind  that  she  said  "  that  she  ought  to 
have  been  with  them."  In  a  few  days  afterward,  she  was  converted, 
after  which  she  was  suddenly  attacked  with  scarlet  fever  and  died. 


The  captain  of  one  of  our  ocean  steamers  (who  was  one  of  the 
number  immersed  last  month),  a  few  years  a  ago,  when  about  to 
start  to  sea  in  a  new  steamer,  crossed  the  East  River  with  seven 
or  eight  merchants,  and  went  with  them  to  a  house  of  entertainment, 
where  they  had  a  jovial  dinner  together.  A  day  or  two  ago  he  met 
with  several  of  them  and  found  each  to  be  a  converted  man.  They 
immediately  hunted  up  the  rest,  and  it  was  found  that  all  were 
believers  in  Jesus.  They  retired  together  to  a  room  belonging  to  a 
mercantile  house,  and  spent  a  season  in  prayer  and  thanksgiving  iu 
»        view  of  the  occurreuco. 


INCIDENTS    OF   THE   KEVIVAL.  430 

A  Sunday  school  lad  wished  to  join  the  church.  His  mother,  for 
many  years  a  neglecter  of  public  worship,  on  being  consulted,  came 
and  took  a  place  beside  her  boy,  and  both  have  since  been  converted. 
A  little  girl,  thirteen  years  old,  who  was  six  months  ago  in  a  Roman 
Catholic  Sunday  School,  is  now  a  firm  Protestant  and  intelligent 
Christian,  attending  the  church  and  Sunday  School.  A  little  girl 
belonging  to  the  Sabbath  School  died  a  few  weeks  ago  with  the 
words  on  her  lips,  "  I  am  ready,"  and  a  smile  in  her  eye.  Her  father, 
who  before  spent  his  Sabbaths  in  an  engine  house,  is  now  inquiring. 

Rev.  Mr.  Adams,  pastor  of  the  Duane  Street  Methodist  Church, 
says  : — "  Just  after  the  great  panic  of  last  Fall  commenced,  a  young 
man  called  on  me  late  on  Saturday  night.  He  was  the  picture  of 
distress  and  despair.  Supposing  him  to  be  one  of  the  many  cases 
that  daily  came  under  my  notice,  I  invited  him  in.  He  sat  some 
minutes  iu  perfect  silence,  and  finally  burst  into  tears.  It  was  some 
time  before  he  could  control  himself  sufiicieutly  to  go  on,  and  then 
said  :  '  Can  you  do  anything  for  me  V  I  requested  him  to  state  his 
case.  He  said  he  was  miserable  beyond  description — had  been 
blessed  with  pious  parents  and  a  religious  education,  but  had  gone 
far  away  from  the  counsels  of  his  fathers  ;  he  had  fallen  into  shame- 
ful sin,  until  his  soul  loathed  himself,  and  he  had  been  on  the  verge 
of  self-destruction.  '  This  afternoon,'  said  he,  '  feeling  a  hell  within, 
I  went  out  and  bought  poison — went  into  my  room,  and  was  about 
to  take  it  when  something  seemed  to  say  to  me,  "  Go  down  and  see 
the  minister  "  and  I  have  come.  Will  you  pray  for  me  ?"  He  fell 
on  his  knees  and  cried  aloud  for  mercy.  After  two  hours  of  prayer 
he  grew  calm,  and  finally  joyful.  He  gave  me  a  package,  and 
requested  me  to  destroy  it ;  there  was  laudanum  in  it — enough  to 
have  killed  half  a  dozen  men." 

The  first  person  who  renounced  his  sins  in  the  Prince  Street 
meetings,  was  a  sailor,  who  was  greatly  addicted  to  gambling, 
and  to  other  vices  that  usually  accompany  this.  When  he  came  to 
the  meeting  he  had  just  left  the  gaming-table  ;  but  when  he  returned, 
his  first  act  was  to  consign  his  cards  and  dice  to  the  flames.  He 
then  knelt  down,  prayed,  and  was  converted.  He  is  now  at  sea, 
sailing  with  a  pious  captain,  and  on  board  the  ship  daily  prayer- 
meetinsrs  are  held  both  in  the  cabin  and  forecastle.     A  man  wlio  had 


440  INCIDENTS   OF   THE   REVIVAL. 

long  been  given  to  intemperance  was  among  the  converts,  and  in 
one  of  the  meetings  said  :  "  No  more  rum  shall  ever  tpuch  me,  by 
the  help  of  God,  unless  it  is  flung  on  me." 

The  Rev.  A.  Cornell  writes  from  Ionia,  Mich. — "  Two  men 
came  over  thirty  miles  from  the  northern  frontier,  having  heard 
that  the  Lord  was  with  us,  hoping  to  obtain  mercy — one  of  them 
my  own  brother,  ten  years  older  than  myself,  and  who  had  been 
for  years  so  averse  to  Christianity  that  he  shunned  its  remotest 
influence.  The  other  was  an  Irish  Catholic,  whose  residence 
was  over  thirty  miles  from  here  in  his  forest  home.  Having  a 
Bible  in  his  possession,  he  read,  and  became  convicted  of  sin,  and 
by  weeks  of  prayer  and  agonizing  struggle  with  his  rebellious  heart, 
he  found  peace  in  believing  in  Christ ;  and  being  all  untaught  in  the 
doctrines  of  the  Gospel,  and  no  one  to  teach  him,  he  conceived  he 
might  baptize  himself,  and  so  he  filled  a  large  stone  trough  and  im- 
mersed himself.  But  not  satisfied  with  his  condition,  and  '  being 
warned  of  God,^  as  he  said,  to  go  out  of  the  woods  where  be  could 
be  taught,  he  found  his  way  here,  and  was  baptized  last  Sabbath. 
He  was  the  most  perfect  specimen  of  one  taught  of  God  only,  that 
I  ever  witnessed.  Being  possessed  of  strong  mind,  he  had  the  clear- 
est views  of  grace,  and  of  his  own  sinfulness,  and  God's  mercy,  and 
was  so  untainted  with  human  dogmas,  that  he  seemed  truly  like  a 
rock  from  its  native  quarry,  untouched  by  human  hands.  I  never 
witnessed  a  deeper  and  more  profound  love  for  God,  connected  with 
deep  self-abasement,  and  adoring  wonder  at  God's  great  mercy,  and 
an  unshaken  confidence  in  a  pardoning  vSaviour.  He  had  no  arts, 
no  sophistry,  no  cant  phrases  common  to  many  who  have  had 
Christian  training,  and  yet  in  the  doctrines  of  grace  he  was  pro- 
foundly correct,  and  his  earnest,  heartfelt,  simple  experience  and 
views  at  once  dispelled  from  every  mind  all  doubt  that  his  was  the 
work  of  God,  and  God  alone." 


THE    REVIVAL    AND   THE    NEWSPAPERS. 

We  all  look  for  a  time  when  the  Press  will  be  sanctified,  with  all 
its  incalculable  influence,  to  the  cause  of  Christ's  kingdom  ;  when 
the  authority  of  public  sentiment  will  claim  its  active  support  to 
pure   religion,  as  already  to  the  conceded  principles  of  morality. 


INCIDENTS   OF  THE   REVIVAL.  441 

Never  before  this  year  has  such  a  significant  and  encouraging  modi- 
ficatiou  been  seen  in  the  tone  of  the  secular  presses  on  religious 
affairs.  The  following  exhortation  from  the  Springfield  Republican, 
a  secular  paper,  conducted  with  an  eye  to  the  doing  of  good  as  it 
meets  opportunity,  illustrates  some  of  the  ways  in  which  the  every- 
day press  may  exert  a  becoming  influence  for  Christ  : 

"It  is  not  our  province  to  preach,  or  to  exhort,  but  we  very 
frankly  express  the  opinion,  that  the  more  of  our  people  who  put 
themselves  in  the  way  of  the  influences  which  now  prevail,  the  better. 
We  have  yet  to  see  the  first  man  who  has  sustained  damage  by  be- 
coming at  heart,  and  in  life  a  Christian.  You  old  sinners,  who  have 
led  a  hard  and  careless  life,  put  yourselves  in  the  way  of  good.  Go 
into  the  prayer-meetings.  They  will  not  hurt  you.  You  young  men, 
upon  whom  life  is  opening — you  whose  characters  are  forming,  it  will 
not  harm  you  to  incorporate  into  your  life  the  Christian  element. 
On  the  contrary,  it  will  do  you  a  world  of  good.  You  men  of  mid- 
dle age,  you  hard  drinkers,  you  swearers,  you  licentious  men,  you 
scoffing  men,  you  double-dealing  men,  all  of  you,  look  in  upon  the 
prayer-meeting  and  see  how  it  affects  you.  Your  friends  in  other 
places  are  doing  it,  and  declare  themselves  benefitted.  Our  opinion 
is,  that  it  will  benefit  you.    Try  it  and  see." 


CONVERSION    OF    A    SAILOR. 

At  a  prayer-meeting  held  in  Plymouth  Church,  Brooklyn,  the 
leader  of  the  meeting  announced  that  several  seafaring  men,  recent 
converts  from  the  Baptist  Mariners'  Church,  were  present,  who  were 
requested  to  speak.  In  response  to  the  invitation,  a  young  man,  an 
American,  arose  and  spoke  as  follows  ; 

"  I  am  a  stranger  here,  but  I  trust  I  am  not  a  stranger  to  Christ. 
It  is  not  long  since  I  was  converted,  yet  now  I  know  Him,  and  am 
no  longer  a  stranger  to  His  love.  I  speak  with  great  trembling 
before  my  brethren,  because  I  feel  my  weakness  ;  yet  I  am  made 
strong  through  the  grace  of  God.  When  I  went  to  sea  I  left  behind 
me  one  of  the  best  mothers  that  ever  lived.  She  was  a  pious 
woman,  and  used  to  pray  for  me.  She  used  to  pray  for  me  before  I 
went  away  from  home,  and  after  I  had  gone  she  prayed  more  than 
ever     Her  prayer  always  was  that  I  might  become  a  Christian.    In 


442  INCroENTS    OF   THE   EEYIYAX. 

my  early  youth,  before  I  went  away  from  my  father's  house,  I  was 
a  scholar  in  a  Sunday-school,  where  I  learned  many  lessons  that 
I  shall  never  forget.  When  I  was  at  sea,  oif  St.  Vincent,  a  great 
storm  arose.  It  was  a  tremendous  gale,  and  many  vessels  were 
wrecked.  We  all  thought  that  we  should  go  to  the  bottom.  There 
seemed  to  be  no  possibility  that  the  ship  could  hold  out  against  it, 
and  we  gave  up  hope.  There  was  not  a  single  person  on  board  that 
was  a  Christian — none  to  whom  I  could  go  to  seek  counsel  in  view 
of  preparing  for  eternity.  I  sat  alone  by  myself,  thinking  what 
I  could  do.  I  was  afraid  to  meet  death,  for  I  was  unprepared  to 
die.  All  the  lessons  that  I  had  learned  in  the  Sabbath-school  came  up 
before  my  mind.  It  seemed  as  if  all  that  I  had  ever  heard,  or  read, 
or  known,  flashed  before  me,  and  appeared  as  if  it  had  all  happened 
but  yesterday.  I  thought  of  my  religious  instruction  ;  I  thought  of 
my  mother's  prayers  ;  I  thought  of  the  Bible  ;  I  thought  of  God  ;  I 
saw  my  mother's  tears  ;  I  determined  to  pray,  and  I  did  pray.  I 
made  a  vow  before  God,  that  if  he  would  spare  me,  and  suffer  me  to 
get  ashore  once  more,  I  would  consecrate  all  the  rest  of  my  life  to 
his  service.  He  heard  my  prayer,  and  we  were  saved.  Not  one  of 
the  crew  was  lost,  although  the  storm  proved  fatal  to  many  vessels. 
One  of  these,  the  bark  Resolute,  of  New  London,  went  down  with 
all  on  board.  In  a  day  or  two  afterward  we  ran  into  St.  Vincent, 
and  were  ashore  safe.  The  danger  was  over,  and  so  was  my  resolu- 
tion. I  forgot,  in  a  great  measure,  my  solemn  obligation  to  God. 
There  was  no  house  of  worship  in  St.  Vincent,  but  if  there  had  been 
I  doubt  whether  I  would  have  gone  into  it.  We  are  always  apt  to 
forget,  when  peril  is  past,  the  prayers  we  utter  when  it  is  upon  us. 
A  short  time  afterward  we  were  at  St.  Helena.  Here  there  was  a 
church,  and  when  I  saw  it  I  began  to  remember  what  I  had  told 
God  in  the  storm.  It  came  upon  me  with  great  seriousness.  We 
did  not  remain  long  at  the  island,  but  I  determined,  if  possible,  to 
fulfill  ray  promise.  I  determined  to  seek  and  to  find  Christ.  I  began 
to  pray,  and  to  pray  earnestly  for  my  salvation  ;  and  now  I  rejoice 
with  great  joy,  and  thank  God  with  many  thanks  that  he  has  shown 
me  the  way  of  life,  and  led  my  feet  to  walk  in  it.  The  prayers  of 
my  good  mother  are  answered,  for  I  trust  that  I  am  a  child  of  God, 
redeemed  by  the  blood  of  Christ." 


.        n^CIDENTS    OF   THE   REVIVAL.  443 

These  words  were  uttered  with  some-  hesitancy,  occasioned  by- 
great  emotion,  and  were  listened  to  with  intense  eagerness  by  the 
congregation. 

Before  the  meeting  concluded,  two  other  seamen  narrated  the 
circumstances  of  their  conversion  at  sea. 


AN    OLD    man's    prayer   ANSWERED. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Taylor  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  at  one  of  the  meetings 
held  in  the  "  Old  Dutch  Church,"  narrated  the  following  circum- 
stances "  as  an  encouragement  for  parents  to  pray  for  their  chil- 
dren :" 

"  Many  years  ago  an  old  man,  a  devoted  Christian,  started  a 
prayer-meeting,  which  is  still  continued,  having  resulted  in  many  and 
glorious  fruits.  A'S  a  pastor  it  was  my  privilege  to  be  with  him, 
particularly  during  his  last  illness.  In  several  visits  made  to  his 
house  I  found  him  on  the  mount,  looking  over  on  to  the  Land  of 
Promise.  Finding  nothing  seemingly  to  mar  his  comfort  or  inter- 
rupt his  joy,  one  morning  as  I  went  to  his  dwelling  (he  was  a  poor 
man  and  lived  in  straitened  circumstances),  I  determined  to  satisfy 
myself  whether  there  was  nothing  that  gave  him  any  trouble  of 
heart.  On  entering  his  chamber  I  asked  him  in  simple  terms,  *  How 
are  you  this  morning  V  *  Oh,  Sir,'  said  he, '  I  am  well  ;  why  should 
I  not  be  well  ?  I  am  near  home.  Yes,  I  am  near  home — near  hea- 
ven,' I  took  the  opportunity  to  ask  him,  '  My  dear  Sir,  has  there 
been  nothing  of  late  resting  upon  your  heart  as  an  occasion  of 
trouble  I'  He  spoke  not  a  word,  but  turned  his  face  over  to  the 
wall,  and  lay  so  between  five  and  ten  minutes  ;  then  he  rolled  his 
head  back  upon  his  pillow,  with  his  face  towards  me,  and  I  saw  the 
tears  streaming  down  his  cheeks.  '  Oh,  yes,  Sir,'  said  he,  '  there  is 
one  great  trouble.'  *  What  is  it  V  I  inquired.  *  Speak  your  whole 
miud  to  me  freely.'  '  Well,'  said  he,  '  I  have  ten  children,  and  I 
have  prayed  to  God  for  more  than  thirty  years  that  I  might  see  one 
or  more  of  them  converted  before  I  die  ;  but  he  has  denied  me. 
They  are  all  grown  up,  as  you  know,  but  are  not  yet  Christians.' 
*  How  do  you  get  over  that  trouble  ?  I  asked.  *  Ah,'  he  replied,  *  I 
get  over  it  as  I  get  over  all  other  troubles — by  rolling  it  over  upon 
Christ.     I  know  that  God  means  to  answer  my  prayers,  but  ho 


4:4:4:  INCIDENTS   OF   THE   REVIVAL. 

means  to  wait  till  I  am  gone.     But  he  will  do  it  ;  I  know  he  will ; 
my  children  willbe  converted.' 

"  This  man  has  been  in  his  grave  for  fifteen  years,  and  I  have 
watched  over  his  children  ever  since  his  death  ;  and  now  to-day  I 
am  able  to  say  that  seven  out  of  the  ten  have  been  born  into  the 
kingdom  of  God,  and  that  the  eighth  has  also  just  experienced  con- 
version. This  is  the  answer  to  his  prayer  I  God  did  not  forget ;  he 
only  waited  ;  and  in  like  manner  he  will  answer  the  prayers  of  all 
parents  who  pray  in  faith  for  the  conversion  of  their  children.  Let 
us,  therefore,  take  courage,  and  lay  hold  upon  the  precious  promises 
of  God  I" 


A  young  man  of  skeptical  tendencies  was  passing  through  Amity 
street  a  few  days  ago,  and  saw  a  child  weeping  bitterly.  He  in- 
quired what  was  the  matter,  and  it  appeared  that  the  child,  whose 
family  lived  in  Anthony  street,  had  lost  his  way,  and  knew  not  how 
to  get  home.  "  Come  with  me,"  said  the  young  man,  "  and  I  will 
show  you  the  way  home."  But  he  could  not  persuade  the  lost  one 
to  accompany  him.  The  young  man  left  the  child,  and  as  he  walked 
on,  he  thought,  "  that  child  is  like  me — lost — and  will  not  be  guided 
home."  The  impression  ripened  into  conviction,  penitence,  and  con- 
version. 

It  is  stated  that  the  captain  and  entire  crew  (of  30  persons)  of  a 
ship  lately  arrived  at  New  York,  .had  been  converted  upon  the  sea, 
without  any  obvious  special  instrumentality.  Another  gentleman 
reported  five  ships  arrived  at  the  same  port,  whose  captains  had 
been  brought  to  Christ  upon  the  sea. 

A  gentleman  in  Newburyport,  says  that  the  young  converts  have 
become  missionaries,  and  go,  not  only  from  house  to  house,  but  into 
the  neighboring  towns,  to  hold  meetings.  Striking  instances  of 
conversion  axe  occurring  every  day.  Men  go  to  bed  careless,  and 
wake  up  in  the  morning  anxious  and  concerned  about  their  souls. 


DERBY    &    JACKSON'S 

Library  of  Sacred   Classics, 

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OTHER  VOLUMES   OF  A   SIMILAR   CHARACTER   TO   FOLLOW. 


John  Buxyan!  Philip  Doddridge!  Richard  Baxter!  Jeremy  Tay- 
lor! "Pilgrim's  Progress,"  "Rise  and  Progress,"  "Saints'  Rest,"  and 
"Holy  LiTiNG."  What  Authors!  What  Subjects !  What  Books!  Writers 
for  immortality  on  immortal  subjects,  familiar  to  every  reader  from  early 
infancy— household  names  and  words  and  books  for  our  maturer  years.  They 
will  live  forever,  and  do  good  to  all.  Old  and  young  alike  can  drink  at  this 
well,  "pure  and  undefiled,"  certain  of  refreshing  draughts  of  pure  and  whole- 
some literature. 

Copies  sent  lij  Mail  post  paid  on  receipt  of  price. 
Address, 

DERBY   k  JACKSON,  119  Nassau  St.,  N.  Y. 


NOW    READY, 

THE   LIFE   AND  CHOICE  WORKS 

OF 

ISAAC    WATTS,  D.D., 

WITH    A    NEAT    PORTIUIT    Oi\    STEEL. 

12mo.     Price  $1  25. 


The  following  are  in  course  of  preparation,  uniform  with  the  above: 

DERBY  AND  JACKSON'S 
CLASSIC    LIBRARY    OF   SACRED  AUTHORS, 

COMPRISIKCr    THE    BEST    WORKS    OF    THE    MOST    EMINENT    DIVINES  ;     WITH 

BIOGRAPHICAL   MEMOIRS,  INTRODUCTORY  ESSAYS,  AND   CRITICAL 

NOTES,    ETC.       BY    D.    A.    HARSHA.       THE   WHOLE   TO  BE 

COMPLETED  IN  TWENTY-FODR  VOLUMES,  12M0.,  OF 

ABOUT  500  PP.,  M'lTH  PORTRAITS  ON  STEEL. 

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JEREMY   TAYLOE,  PHILIP   DODDRIDGE, 

ISAAC   BARRON,  RICHARD  BAXTER, 

JOHN  NEWTON,  JOHN  HOWE, 

THOMAS  SCOTT,  JOHN  OWEN, 

JOHN  WESLEY,  MATTHEW  HENRY, 

ANDREW  FULLER,  ROBERT  HALL, 

JOHN  BUNYAN,  JOHN  POSTER. 

The  remaining  Volumes  will  be  announced  hereafter. 


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LIFE  OF  ISAAC  WATTS. 

INCLUDING  HIS   CHOICE    WORKS. 

BY  D.  A.  HAKSHA,  A.M. 

In.  one  neat  12ino.  volume,  Price  $1  25. 


From  the  Xew  York  Evangelist. 
Messrs.  Derby  &  Jacksoa  have  commenced  an  enterprise,  which,  if  carried  forward  with 
the  same  good  taste  with  which  it  is  begun,  will  deserve  a  very  liberal  patronage  from  the 
Christian  public.  It  is  the  publication  in  convenient  duodecimo  volumes  of  a  Standard 
Library  of  Sacred  Classics.  The  first  of  the  series  is  composed  of  selections  from  the  prose 
works  of  Isaac  Watts.  It  contains  a  sketch  of  the  quiet,  but  not  uneventful  Life  of  "Watts, 
several  miscellaneous  Essays,  and  seventeen  Select  Discourses,  which  have  attained  the  highest 
reputation.  Several  of  these  SBrmons  the  late  venerable  "William  Jay,  of  Bath,  pronounced 
"among  the  sweetest  and  most  profitable  sermons  in  the  language."  Those  on  "  Death  and 
Heaven,"  were  the  favorite  reading  of  Dr.  Doddridge,  when  failing  health  made  him  an  exile 
from  his  native  land,  and  he  lay  sinking  under  fatal  disease  at  Lisbon.  Those  of  our  readers 
who  have  never  met  with  the  discourses  of  Dr.  "Watts,  have  a  rich  pleasure  yet  in  store.  "\^'e 
well  recollect  our  own  grateful  surprise  when,  years  ago,  we  first  stumbled  upon  one  of  the 
huge  quarto  volumes  of  his  sermons,  and  were  allured  on  from  page  to  page  by  the  mingled 
pathos,  sweetness,  and  fervency  of  his  thoughts.  His  style,  certainly,  is  open  to  criticism.  It 
Is  too  diffuse  and  sometimes  careless,  but  always  plain  and  perspicuous.  It  is  an  effort  to 
grasp  his  thought,  and  oftentimes  it  is  presented  with  a  finished  grace  and  beauty  in  keeping 
with  its  own  pure  and  lofty  character. 

From  the  Xew  York  Observer. 
The  compiler  of  this  volume  is  establishing  an  excellent  reputation  as  a  literary  man, 
selecting  worthy  subjects  and  portraying  them  with  skill.  This  book  is  well  prepared.  The 
biography  is  chaste,  perspicuous,  and  discriminating  ;  and  the  selection,  as  is  claimed  in  the 
title,  is  choice.  It  is  the  first  of  a  series  of  standard  religious  classics  to  be  prepared  by  the 
same  author,  and  we  have  no  doubt  they  will  be  well  worthy  of  wide  circulation. 

From  the  Albany  Evening  Journal. 
This  is  the  first  in  the  series  of  a  projected  edition  of  the  Christian  Classics,  and  we  earn- 
estly hope  that  its  extensive  sale  will  reward  the  exertions  of  the  enterprising  pubHshers. 
It  will  embrace  a  selection  of  the  most  eminent  Episcopalian  and  Non-Conformist  writers 
from  the  period  of  Jeremy  Taylor  to  Robert  Hall  of  the  present  century.  The  sermons  on 
which  the  reputation  of  "Watts  chiefly  rests,  are  given  entire,  while  the  precious  gems  in  other 
cases  are  taken  from  the  controversies  in  which  they  lay  embedded,  and  presented  to  the  reader. 
What  a  rich  feast  is  the  perusal  of  this  volume  !  If  original  and  profound  thought,  vigorous 
illustration,  chastened  yet  glowing  sentiment,  and  elevated  devotional  feeling,  please  u 
reader,  he  will  find  all  to  abundance  in  the  perusal  of  this  admirable  volume.  The  life  of  this 
"  Master  in  Israel"  is  written  with  great  beauty  and  knowledge  of  the  state  of  society  when 
Watts  flourished,  by  Mr.  Harsha,  and  will  add  fresh  laurels  to  those  which  he  has  previously 
reaped  in  the  fields  of  literature.  For  the  libraries  of  private  Christians  we  consider  this 
work  as  indispensable,  and  when  the  series  is  completed,  no  present  by  churches  to  their 
pastors  can  be  so  seasonable  as  the  interesting  file  of  the  Christian  Classics. 

Address, 

I>£RBY  &  .IACKSOjV,  119  Nassau  St.,  N.  Y 


17981YC.  34^ 

12-11-03  32180      MS 


Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Libraries 


ry  LiDrane 


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